The Mobile Barista
by xSeashellGirlx
Summary: Seeking a job at her Uncle Phil's amazing workplace, Lily Coulson is a bit intimidated by her 30-day internship period. She soon finds that she doesn't mind fetching coffee for her "coworkers", especially the nice one with the glasses.
1. Introductions

Hello! Good morning, evening, afternoon, or whatever time it is when you read this:) Thank you for at least coming this far.

This story is quite simply about the humble misadventures of an intern at SHIELD. I thought the concept was cute, so I just sort of went for it.

Please enjoy (if you can), and reviews are always appreciated.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, but I do own Lily.

_-x-_

Day 1

"Ugh, Hello?"

"Hey, Phil? I've been eating a lot of food, and I'm worried that my new uniform won't fit."

"Three in the morning, Lily. Three in the morning."

"I know, and I'm so sorry, but I've eaten two extra large burritos and I'm halfway through this bag of candied pretzels," I rushed out, feeling my stomach expand.

Phil took a good amount of time before replying, "If you're that nervous, I'm taking you to a hospital."

I sighed, "You said it was a good thing to be nervous."

"It's not a good thing to eat everything you own and call me when I'm asleep," he chuckled.

"Don't start pretending that you actually sleep or something," I grinned.

"I get days off."

"Do you spend them working?"

"Pfft, of course I don't. I spend them sleeping."

"Or in Portland, you do that one, too."

"Okay, I'm hanging up now."

"Bye, Phil."

I set my phone back down on the bed and barely tilted my head to the side to see the alarm clock. With only a few more hours left, I rolled myself into a burrito format and tried to find a way to pass the time.

That 'way' didn't turn out to be sleep. I spent the entire time dreaming up horrible scenarios of spilling coffee on the director or being caught in a global catastrophe.

When the alarm finally went off, I showered as quickly as possible and dried my hair in a comparable amount of time.

I ran combs and straighteners and pins through it before I could deem it socially acceptable. My hair's always been an odd mixture of curls and flat out knots.

With a towel around my head, I covered up the bags under my eyes with the lightest foundation known to man.

I needed to go outside more often.

When the uniform was finally on, I felt ridiculous, and one look in the mirror showed how ridiculous it really was. It was painfully tight, but at least it was a slimming black color.

I awkwardly waddled out of my apartment and into the parking lot.

As expected, my fantastic Uncle Phil was waiting in his car, fast asleep. With a gentle tap on his window, Phil woke up and kindly unlocked my door.

"You don't look that fat. Don't worry," he smiled.

I tried not to think about 'that fat' and got in the passenger seat.

"You think I'm ready for this Phil?" I asked, wanting an honest opinion.

"Lily," he started with a light smile, "I wasn't ready either. " The honesty was indirect, but I liked it.

"Thanks for telling the truth on that one," I said shyly. He laughed, but he was worried for her. SHIELD is a dangerous place to work, and he was a bit overprotective.

"I still can't believe you haven't asked where this Pegasus place is," he said with a broad smile.

"I kind of figured you wouldn't tell me anyway…"

"And I wouldn't. I have a smart niece," He ruffled my hair.

"Phil, you are not allowed to play with my hair at work."

With that thought, I looked out of the window of the low-to-the-ground car and noticed the direction we were headed. A farm surrounded by corn fields loomed ahead, but the more important feature ahead was the black plane a little further away.

"Did they really send us a plane?" I asked, letting my jaw slack a bit.

"Why wouldn't they?" He laughed a little, "They have plenty of money to spend."

_-x-_

I've never been good with heights. I've never been that good with people either, but that's a different story.

My hands dug deep into my armrests. Even though the pilot seemed capable, and my uncle trusted him, every single fiber of my being was saying that this plane ride would kill me.

How wrong I was. What really killed me was the look I received from Director Fury once the ride was over.

It's amazing to me that someone with only one eye can have such a piercing stare. He looked me up and down, questioning my existence, before turning to my Uncle.

"Phil, who is that?" He demanded. I could've called him rude, but he had a gun.

"Director, this is my niece, Lily, her internship starts today," Phil smiled. I could tell he was proud.

Fury turned to me. I know that me coming probably lapsed his mind weeks ago. "Do you have your paperwork?"

"Yes, Sir," I said directly.

He only held out his hand.

After the action processed, I pulled the messenger bag off my hip and found the thick manila folder. My hand was close to shaking when I handed it over to him.

He snatched it and flipped through. With a wave of Fury's hand, a soldier came up behind him.

"File these." He ordered. With a "Yes, Sir" the soldier was off.

"Ms. Coulson, as intern, you will bring meals to a list of high-ranking employees and guests. If anyone wants coffee, it's your duty to get it to them. You will also be asked to perform minor tasks around the facilities. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Sir," I said, though I was kind of pondering the coffee bit.

He waved his hand again, and another soldier appeared.

"Take Ms. Coulson to the cafeteria," he ordered.

The soldier looked at me and said, "This way, Ma'am."

Phil patted me on the back, and I smiled. I followed the soldier through two bleach white hallways. Counting doors and signs has always helped me remember things, but the hallways looked identical.

I silently accepted the fact that I was going to get lost in this place at some point.

When we finally made it to the cafeteria, I let out a sigh of relief. The room wasn't as big as I thought it would be, and even with its small size, SHIELD's workforce didn't fill it.

The soldier dropped me off at the kitchen with a little nod. I tapped my fingertips on the white counter a little bit. What I was doing here baffled me. There were no meals set out for me to deliver, and no note telling me where to go.

"Would you be the new intern?" A kind voice asked.

I spun around to face the owner of the voice. It was an older woman, with a very sweet face. She was very short, but still, I wasn't too much taller.

"Yes, ma'am, that's me," I said quietly. She smiled.

"Lily, isn't it? I have the list of meals you deliver." She held out a sheet of paper with a short list of names on it.

"Yeah, it's Lily. And thank you," I read over the names silently.

Agent Hill

Agent Coulson (I smiled a little at this)

Director Fury (I winced a little at this)

Dr. Selvic

Agent Barton

"Isn't Barton-"

" Hawkeye? He won't hurt you. Fury might," she chuckled. "I'm pretty glad you came, Lily. I was getting tired of handing these suckers out by myself." She opened a wall refrigerator and pulled out five different closed trays.

"You do this yourself?" I asked in near disbelief.

"Whenever we don't have interns," she smiled back at me. "Your nametag is on the counter, by the way."

Lily Coulson

Intern

I pinned the tag to my chest in the place where the older lady had hers. When she spun around I read her tag.

May Tomlin

Agent

She caught me looking. "I'm not really an agent," she smiled, "They just do that to make me feel good about myself."

I smiled, and grabbed the first tray.

"Hill?" I asked, hoping she could give me directions.

"She moves around a lot. Best to leave it in her office. It's right next to your Uncles."

"Thank you, May."

If the memories I had of Phil telling me where to find him served me right, he was on the 4th floor.

I passed up a door with my uncle's name, and mentally fist pumped for remembering the floor number. Soon enough, I found a door with the name "Agent Maria Hill" etched in. I knocked lightly, and heard a little grunt, followed by a "Come in."

At the desk was a thin woman with black hair and blue eyes. She would've looked significantly prettier without the scowl she wore on her face.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Lunch," I answered with a light smile.

"You're Coulson's niece?" she questioned, taking the box from me.

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you plan on working here soon?" her eyebrows raised.

"If I can make it through internship."

She rolled her eyes a little bit. "Thank you."

Passing by Phil's room, I heard him talking on the phone.

"She's doing fine." Pause, "No, I don't think she wants to talk to you." Pause, "I'm ready to hang up on you, I'm at work." Pause, "Bye."

I kept walking onto the kitchen. Thankfully, I remembered that there were two identical hallways that I couldn't tell apart. That helped me quite a bit.

May wasn't inside, but she left a note telling me how to get to Fury's office and the basement with Selvic and Barton.

Walking back up to Phil's office from the kitchen, I started to take everything in. I was honestly in a SHIELD research facility, delivering lunches to secret agents. This could really make a good TV show.

The elevator dinged lightly. I stepped out of my thoughts and into Phil's office.

"Hey there, Lily," he grinned, "Sit down. Gotta make a call."

I noted the tiny size of this office, and had to remember that he doesn't usually stay here. After the phone call reached an answering machine, Phil sighed a little before stating his business.

"Hello, this is Agent Coulson. I'm just calling to let you know that the Phase Two shipment is on schedule for tomorrow. Call me back if you have questions. Thank you."

"Sooooo, do you have my lunch?" he smiled.

I laughed and handed it over.

"How many times have you gotten lost already?"

"Not even once." I said with a proud face.

"Come on, it's okay to admit it. I got so lost on my first day that I broke down crying."

"Oh my god. You did?" My mouth hung open. I could totally picture something like that happening.

"Yeah. It wasn't good. I figure you've met Maria by now."

"Maria?"

He tilted his head. "Skinny bitch down the hall."

I bursted out laughing. I think that could've been the first time I'd ever heard him insult another human being, other than my parents. Thinking of my parents…

"Who was it that called you a few minutes ago?" I asked, picking apart his expression as I changed the subject so abruptly.

"Eavesdropping on a secret agent isn't a smart thing to do, Lily."

"Mom?"

He hesitated, "She calls me a lot here. I usually ignore it, but I just kind of felt like I should answer today."

"She wants to talk to me, doesn't she?"

"She always does."

"Forget her. I have lunches to deliver."

I took a few deep breaths in the elevator. The next lunch delivery would be to Fury. I groaned. There was no relief.

"Floor 6, workroom" summed up May's directions. I grabbed the box and headed back to the elevator for the 5th time that day. Interning was really hard work. My feet hurt a little.

Floor six was simply a huge open room with 30 some people at computers with headsets. The director was sitting at a desk in the center of the floor, keeping a keen eye on the workers.

"Sir," I said, nodding my head and placing the lunchbox on the desk.

"Thank you, Ms. Coulson. How has your first day been?" The question took me by complete surprise.

"Well, it's been good enough." I said with a weak smile.

"Good to hear. When you're done with the lunch deliveries, Agent Jones wants coffee."

"Yes, Sir."

Agent Jones smiled at me from his desk. "Black, two sugars, please."

"I'll get it to you soon."

I walked out of the room, feeling a pair of eyes follow me there.

_-x-_

Coffee had been delivered to the workroom, and I was ready to rest.

I took a seat on the kitchen countertop, and almost fell asleep there.

"Shit!" I whispered aloud. "I have two more lunches to get out there."

Relying on more of May's directions, I took the elevator to Basement 3.

The setting of "Basement 3" was very different from the rest of the building. The pristine white walls were replaced by a dark grey color, and the agents uniformed in tight black and blue suits were wearing white lab coats.

In the middle of the floor was a glowing blue light. After staring at the contraption for a couple of minutes, I returned to the task at hand.

"Dr. Selvic?" I asked a group of ladies with a smile. They pointed me to the most casually dressed person in the room. Odd.

"Dr. Selvic?" I asked again.

He turned around. "Yes, thank you. I was wondering where lunch was."

"I'm sorry. First day."

"That's fine. May's okay, right?" he asked with a little bit of worry.

"Yeah, she's fine. Do you know where Barton is?" I asked, holding out the other box gently.

"Ha! Knowing him he's in the rafters listening in on our conversation."

On cue, he swung down from the ceiling and claimed his lunch.

"Speak of the Devil and he shall appear."

A little rumble could be heard from the center of the room, making every computer in the room beep and every person in the room turn towards it.

Dr. Selvic got on the monitor and checked the contraption. Thankfully, the screen read in big blue letters, "Stable."

"False alarm. Back to work." Hawkeye said with a booming voice. "Thanks for lunch, Coulson," He added before walking off into a shadow.

I started to puzzle over how he knew my name, but I decided that anyone observant enough could read my nametag.

I nodded at Selvic and walked back over to the elevator.

I needed a nap so desperately. It was only past 3, and we didn't get out until 8.

Part of me wanted to sleep in the kitchen, but I did value my new job enough to keep awake.

_-x-_

Night 1

8 pots of coffee later, my watch read 7:50.

I sighed deeply, and started walking up to Phil's office.

Once there, I noticed that my uncle was in a similar state.

"Are you ready to leave, too?" I asked quietly.

He smiled and made one more phone call that I effectively tuned out.

He sat up from his chair and we locked arms.

"You can press the elevator button, because I know you've barely used it today." he said with a sarcastic smile.

He walked out to the parking lot and pulled his car around.

"Are you really driving me all the way home from here?" my eyebrows rose.

"Nope. I'm driving you to your new apartment."

"New apartment? What?" I turned towards him with my mouth slightly open.

"Come on, Lily. I know how much you hate that place."

"Yeah, I do, but you could've given me a heads up. And who's paying for it?"

"You are. I got a refund on the rent you had paid ahead on the old place. And giving you a heads up would've made you even more nervous."

I slumped back down into the chair. He was right. It wasn't like I had anyone to really say goodbye to anyway. And taking a plane to work every day, as cool as it sounded, was totally impractical.

"Thanks, Phil."

He didn't answer out loud, but he managed a smile.

I took my chance to check out the area I was in. The terrain was pretty stale. Grass was everywhere, and a couple high mountains could be seen ahead.

"Are we still in Colorado?"

"Wyoming. Not that different, but it's still a change."

The states border each other, have the same geography, and even the same freaking shape. At least there wouldn't be too much adjusting.

The drive was shorter than I expected, and only lasted 20 minutes. My complex was plain, but clean-looking. After bidding Phil goodnight, and being told he'd come at 9:30 tomorrow morning, I headed inside.

The apartment was larger than my last one, but much plainer. The walls were a harsh white, and so were the carpets. I didn't have the energy to worry about it though.

I took off a layer of clothing and crawled into the less than inviting bed. One look into the living room, showed where all of my belongings had been stockpiled.

My head got buried deeper into the pillow, until I was lying on my stomach. Breathing was hard, but apart from that, I was kind of comfortable.

My next urge was to roll into burrito format, but I fought it away and decided to sleep.

_-x-_

Notes

Whew, that was kind of hard to write. Honestly took me all day, but I've been sick, so I like the excuse to be lazy.

I hope you enjoyed this, even if it is a slow start. Hopefully the bit where the tesseract rumbles will be enough to keep you holding on until next chapter (which should come by tomorrow, based on the way I've been typing).

Thank you, and again, reviews are always appreciated!

_-Maddie-_


	2. Change

What to say? Maybe thank you is a good start. Having 32 emails 2 hours after you post a story is amazing, and I really can't thank you lot enough. I'm really motivated to make this story as amazing as possible.

Here we go!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, I do own Lily.

_-x-_

Day 2

Waking up in my new apartment effectively scared the hell out of me. Not only did I not remember setting my alarm, but I didn't remember how white the place was. Like a hospital, I finally decided.

Rummaging through my suitcases, I tried really hard not to think of the people that packed my stuff. It was incredibly easy to judge me based on all of this crap. Thinking that these people work at SHIELD. made me shudder.

I dreaded the day someone asked me if I owned a tea kettle shaped like a cow.

The new shower was confusing and decided to shoot out cold water once I turned the hot water knob.

I yelled a little and jumped to the back of the tub, and leaned forward to change the temperature without being subjected to the Arctic water. It was then that I realized that my soap and shampoo were in my bags.

The carpet was soaking wet by the time I found my soap, shampoo, underwear, and towels. The bright white was now a little bit duller at the very least.

The shower went by extremely fast, as everything does when I'm mad. Finding the blow-dryer and straightener proved to be a challenge, as the straightener was packed with my shoes.

By 9:00 I was ready to go. This meant I had 30 minutes in this heaven-colored hellhole.

I hauled the TV into the bedroom and carefully placed it on the dresser, only to find out that my humble Colorado cable box was "incompatible". I felt his pain.

Screwing the TV idea, I decided to unpack clothes.

I shouldn't have been so mad at the fact that I only had enough clothing to fill 5 out of 6 drawers. I should've been mad that I didn't have a walk-in closet.

I left the sixth drawer empty and decided that it could be the dead body drawer, or something to that effect.

Phil's car horn let out a gentle beep beep, which was more than enough to make me run out of the door for a change of scenery.

I loved watching the little building fade from sight. I felt so free.

"Is everything okay, Lily?" Phil asked with a worried expression.

"Yeah, totally. Completely, unequivocally okay." I said in a jittery voice.

"How much coffee did you drink last night?" he asked quietly.

"4 pots. I mean cups. 4 cups of coffee." I shook a little bit.

"How much do you usually drink?" This conversation was sounding like an AA meeting.

"Phil, it's coffee, not vodka. You don't get hangovers from coffee."

"No, but you do get caffeine highs, which lead to caffeine lows. They can be scary."

"Okay, Mom. I won't drink coffee today." I rolled my eyes.

"Don't compare me to your mom." He said with a grunt.

"Okay," I said, giving up the conversation. I was in too productive of a state to talk about Mom.

The huge dark building was coming into view just over a hill.

_-x-_

I was actually excited walking through the hallways. I smiled at everyone I saw and a surprising number smiled back. Coffee has given me an extroverted personality on top of bounds of energy.

The cafeteria was full of employees munching on breakfast. My stomach rumbled

"Good morning, May," I said in a voice comparable to a birds.

"Good morning, Lily. You sound happy," she smiled, holding a coffee cup in her hands.

I fought back the urge to ask for some. Coffee is bad for you. Just like Phil said.

"It's too early for lunch isn't it?" I asked.

"No, but it's good time for a coffee round."

"Pardon?"

"Coffee round. It's when you walk into the work room and ask each individual person if they'd like coffee." She chuckled.

"How many of them usually accept?"

"Usually, all of them. Here's a notepad to take orders with." She shuffled a notepad and pen from a drawer and handed them to me. "Good luck," she smiled.

I smiled back and turned to the double hallway. I was even excited to ride the elevator. When it finally opened, I started my rounds.

I made a point to work my way up and ask the low-ranking people first, like the security guards. It was my humble way of sticking it to Maria, even though I'm sure she didn't see.

Both of them asked for black coffee, as did everyone on the left side, excepting the odd few that drank it with cream or sugar. The right side was identical, except for the air-headed woman that asked for whipped cream and a cherry. I told her I would do the best I could.

Making my way to the center where Maria stood should've been intimidating, but it just wasn't.

"Agent Hill? Would you like coffee?" I asked politely.

"Yes. Black." She said while turning around, so as not to waste another second on me.

I tallied up my order in the elevator. 43 cups of coffee. 34 black, 2 with sugar, 6 with cream and sugar, and 1 with whipped cream and a cherry.

"Well, May, this is quite a big order. 34 cups of bla…"

May had left early, just like yesterday. Maybe she only works mornings? Maybe she's asleep in the fridge?

Every coffee machine was brewing and 43 cups had been set out. There was even a can of whipped topping and a jar of cherries on the counter.

"Psychic hoe," I mumbled while marking each cup.

A dessert tray had been pulled out, and I could only guess that I was meant to use it for the coffee.

It was almost scary seeing so much coffee in one place. It was like they were talking to each other. Or I just needed more sleep.

The hallways were much different with the tray in tow. I felt too fragile to be brushed past, so I moved with the cart as far right as it would go. The elevator finally came into view, making me sigh with relief.

When I finally reached the workroom, my head started to spin with faces and names, trying to remember who wanted sugar, who wanted cream.

I finally decided to just ask each one.

"Black Coffee?"

"Thank you."

"Black?"

"Yes, please."

"Cream and sugar?"

"Yes. Thanks."

"Whipped cream and cherry?"

"Oh! You got it! Thank you!"

"Not a problem."

And it went on repeat 42 times.

"Agent Hill, I have your coffee," I said gently.

"Set it down on the table," I did as she said, "Thank you."

"Very welcome," I replied, though I might not have been telling the absolute truth.

_-x-_

I didn't expect my coffee round to take three hours, but one look at the clock proved me wrong. When I finally reached the kitchen, there were four lunch boxes on the countertop, which meant that May had been back.

I noticed the fact that Fury was nowhere to be seen this morning, so I counted him out of the lunch equation.

A bright idea told me to take all four lunches together and drop them off that way, so I could save trips back and forth.

I approached the elevator with an armful of food. Thankfully, two others were waiting to go up as well, which saved me from having to push the button.

We climbed in and I pushed myself against the back wall.

"Floor number?" a man asked with a little smile.

"6," I answered with an equally little smile.

"I remember interning. Those coffee runs will give you nightmares."

I laughed. Coffee wasn't usually in my dreams, but I could see it being there now. When I reached floor six, I tried very hard to make as little fuss as possible.

I set down Maria's lunch next to the untouched coffee and tried to slip out unnoticed.

I heard a grunt that tempted me to scream "Your welcome, bitch" but I just didn't have enough motivation.

A breath I forgot I was holding escaped my lips when I reached the elevator.

Floor 4.

Ding!

I knocked on my Uncle's door before stepping inside and handing him his lunch.

"So, has your second day been any better than yesterday?" he asked with a little smile.

"It actually has. I think the coffee helped me," I smirked evilly.

"No. Coffee is like … a super villain," he said dramatically

"If coffee is a super villain, who is the hero? And the victim?" I quizzed.

"Water would be the hero, and the poor victims would be your blood vessels. Have you done your first coffee run yet?"

"Ha! Yeah! I was good at it too. Too bad Lily isn't a cool name for a Barista." I felt a little disappointed in my name now.

"What is a cool name for a barista?"

"Smart-ass." I shot him a glare.

He put his hands up in defense. "Just asking. You should get those lunches to Selvic and Barton soon. I heard about your late arrival yesterday."

"Who told you?" I shot my head up.

"Barton. Who else? He always has that big nose somewhere it doesn't belong," he chuckled at his own joke.

I had to agree that Hawkeye could have been named for his nose instead of his skills. He had quite bird-like features.

"Well then, just shove your niece out the door. See ya later, Phil."

"See ya, barista."

The elevator ride down was one of the most boring chapters of my life. Something was causing the elevator to slow dramatically, unless it was just my mind slowing dramatically. A caffeine low was coming upon me.

Basement 3 was a wreck. People were hurrying around the computers, occasionally yelling things at each other and screaming obscenities. Dr. Selvic was at his own computer looking equally worried.

"Dr. I have your lunch if you want it." My voice stayed calm through all of this chaos. I sounded pretty badass, given the situation.

"Just set it down. Thank you," his voice was ridiculously shaken. He was scared out of his mind.

"Can I ask you what's going wrong?" I said slowly. Maybe explaining the predicament would help him sort it out in his head.

"Remember the big blue 'stable' on the screen yesterday?" I nodded. "Have a look."

In bigger red letters, read "Unstable". I could only assume how bad this could be, and it seemed bad enough to skip lunch for.

A hand rested on my shoulder. "Got my lunch?" Hawkeye asked. I handed it to him without a word. I was a bit put off by his concern with eating when a big blue unstable machine was in front of him.

Maybe his preoccupation with food scavenging earned him his name.

"The cube is gaining power that isn't its own. We don't know how, or where from." Hawkeye stated calmly.

"If we don't cut off the power supply we're in deep shit." Selvic was becoming even more of a nervous wreck.

"If it helps," I interjected, "the elevator is running slow."

Selvic's eyes widened, as did Barton's, and they both jogged over to the lift.

"You'll have to take the stairs Ms. Coulson." Barton yelled back at me.

_-x-_

Night 2

4 hours later, the building was evacuating. Keeping calm was impossible. People ran out of the building in disorganized lines to their cars.

Waves of fear rushed over everyone when we felt the rumbles coming from the basement.

Fury had just flown in by helicopter and was headed to basement 3, and my Uncle was probably trying to find me. I pulled out my phone and called him.

"Lily! Where are you?" he yelled over the phone.

"I'm outside the main entrance. Where are you?"

"The helicopter pad above you. I'm gonna drop you my keys from here, okay?"

"What?" I gasped when a set of keys fell on my shoes.

"Lily, go home and pack a bag. Can you meet us at the farm next to your apartment in 30 minutes?"

"I th-think so."

"Okay, I'll see you then. Be safe!"

"You, too."

I drove like a maniac back to my apartment. Dark tire marks could be seen all over the parking lot.

If I had more time or less fear, I would've stopped and admired my badass driving.

30 minutes meant as soon as was reasonably possible. This means that my bag was to be packed lightly.

5 changes of underwear

2 pajama bottoms

3 regular outfits

5 pairs of fuzzy socks

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Shampoo

Makeup bag

Straightener

I winced at how feminine this bag was. Makeup? Straightening iron? Fuzzy socks?

I silently hoped that no one looked through this for weapons.

My feet raced out the door and onto the pavement. They kept going into the cornfield, and by the time my legs were getting tired, I heard a helicopter. My arms waved above my head and gave away my location quickly.

I climbed in to the seat furthest in the middle because there seemed to be less chance of falling out.

Phil hugged me quickly and took his seat across from me. I was handed a headset and shown how to use it. "We're going to headquarters." Phil's voice rang through the communicator.

I pushed my green button "Is it that serious?"

"The blue cube… well a man came out of it. He's Thor's brother, and he's hostile."

"Loki?" I asked in disbelief. My college mythology classes were finally paying off.

"Yes, Loki. You've heard of him, haven't you?"

"Just the myths." I said with a shudder. If this guy is here, Dr. Selvic was right; we are in some deep shit.

"He isn't just a myth." Phil looked worried and tired. I felt bad for him, knowing now just how stressful his job was.

"Why do I have to go? I just hand out coffee." I mumbled the last bit. I've never liked being unimportant, but it just always worked out that way.

"The way things are headed right now, we're gonna need a lot of coffee."

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. This internship was becoming just as scary as I thought it would be. Soon enough, I was dreaming, but my dreams weren't about coffee runs.

_-x-_

Notes

Thank you guys again!

I hope you don't get sick of my unconditional thanking by the time this story is over. I do want to say that I WILL finish this story. There will be some dead weeks this June, but I really have to finish it.

I got a little annoyed with this chapter, but I promise that the next chapter will be super duper coolio.

HELICARRIER SWAG!

_-Maddie-_


	3. Helicarrier Swag

I'm kind of extremely pumped for this chapter. I have a feeling it'll be a good one.

You guys are so amazing. I try to reply to every review, but some of you don't have private messaging enabled. That's fine though, because I think you might have figured out how much I appreciate you by now. It's hard to miss.

I'm still planning the details of this story, though I do have the major plot points laid out. God, I'm excited. This chapter will introduce the Helicarrier and may involve a few heroes, or at least their files.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own the character of Lily Coulson.

_-x-_

When you've been woken up by cold metal alarm clocks for years, having a person wake you up is incredibly weird.

My weird alarm this morning was none other than Uncle Phil, who was still looking stressed and tired. I could tell by the lack loud obtrusive humming that we had landed. He definitely waited to wake me up.

"How long did I sleep?" I yawned.

"Four and a half hours it seems," he looked more than a little jealous.

"It's what, two in the morning?" One look out the open sides of the helicopter confirmed that it was still dark out, and probably sometime near there. I hopped out of the aircraft and onto what felt like pavement.

"Something like that. I slept for two hours, thanks for asking," he was honestly pouting. How old is he?

"Is this headquarters?" I asked. It wouldn't have mattered if it was. I couldn't tell shit from shit in this lighting.

"It wouldn't matter if it is, because you can't see anything right now." Phil and I had similar brains, and I might've asked him once or twice if he gave birth to me.

"God, you're a mind reader. Could you answer the question though?"

"Yes, this is headquarters." His voice was stoic.

"Yes, this is headquarters. Where are we at?" I was running out of patience due to lack of comfortable sleep or food.

"Right now, we are in the Atlantic Ocean, about 300 miles away from Manhattan."

My mind very slowly worked out where we were. Ocean. Pavement. Headquarters.

"Is headquarters really an aircraft carrier?" My lips parted a little.

Phil only smiled.

"How many places did I ask you about Phil? I was so positive it was the Virgin Islands, and you let me believe it! I don't think I can ever trust you again," I snapped at him with a playful tone, even though I was extremely mad about this. It really was a big source of entertainment during my younger years trying to find out where my Uncle worked.

He threw his hands up in mock hurt. "I was keeping you safe Lily."

"Keeping me safe from what?" I challenged him.

He only sighed. "People like Loki."

That comment shut me up pretty good. This really wasn't the time to crack jokes.

"Come on, they've already gotten you a room."

We walked through the main doors and into a dimly lighted hallway. It was more of a soft grey than a bleach white, which I was ridiculously grateful for. That apartment made me racist to my own color.

An elevator ride and two hallways later, we reached a numbered door. I didn't bother to read it, even though I had a feeling I would regret that.

Phil unlocked my door and handed me the keys.

"Don't sleep too late, these cows drink a lot of coffee," he chuckled.

"These cows drink super-villains."

"Night, Lily."

"Night, Phil."

I didn't even bother turning on the light to the room, but instead fell on all floors to look for my bed. It worked well, but the plan was a bit flawed when I remembered that I had to brush my teeth.

I cursed under my breath and told myself to brush double hard tomorrow morning. I wasn't expecting any kisses anyway.

_-x-_

Day 3

I've always thought that waking up on your own time was the best feeling possible.

I've also thought before that having children could induce the best feeling possible.

One look at my parents could prove that theory wrong.

Waking up by my own internal alarm clock was nice, I decided, even if I didn't know what time it was.

I walked out of the bed and turned on the lights. My room was small, but stylish and well-furnished. The walls were light grey instead of white and the carpet was a deep navy blue instead of the dreaded heaven color. I had a closet to hang all of the clothes I didn't bring too, which instantly brought a smile to my face.

A look at my cell phone told me that the time was 8:30 and that Phil had texted me directions to the cafeteria.

This shower wasn't as horribly complicated as the last, so I didn't have to rush it too bad.

By 9:30, I was reading through Phil's text, trying to work my way to the cafeteria.

Two hallways, elevator to floor 1, sharp turn right, one more hallway.

This cafeteria was bigger than the last, but still not huge. It was pretty full with breakfast eaters, too. I slipped into the kitchen and looked for some kind of a note as to what I was doing here.

Because I didn't know, I filled the coffee machines up and went to work on them.

10 minutes later, I filled 50 cups with black, 50 with cream and sugar, and walked through the cafeteria with a tray in tow.

"Coffee?" I asked each table with a light smile.

Near everyone accepted, almost to the point that I had to make more black, until I was intercepted.

"Coulson?" A deep voice asked.

I spun around to see a soldier. "Yes, that's me."

"Director Fury would like to see you."

I nodded and followed him up through a glass hallway and into another workroom.

This room was completely different than the last. Light streamed in front the front window and onto the workers, who were nine times more attentive than the ones at Pegasus. The middle of the room was raised up, probably so Fury could keep an eye on them.

"Ms. Coulson, I'm glad you've decided to stay," he said before I was even fully in the room.

I nodded, not mentioning the fact that I had no say in the matter.

"I'm giving you a sort of promotion. You will still be an intern, don't be too excited," it sounded like a joke, but he was completely serious.

"I understand," I said, almost just to say something.

"SHIELD will be hosting guests for a while to help us track down Loki. Your new duty will be to make them comfortable. You are to be their personal assistant."

"Yes, Sir."

"You will help them with small tasks and bring them food and drinks." It almost seemed like he was challenging me a little.

"I will gladly," I said, before mentally face palming. That could have been the stupidest thing I've said in two weeks.

He stared at me for a while longer. "You're dismissed," he finally said. God, he's scary.

_-x-_

A full-fledged coffee round later, I was ready to die. I whipped out my phone and texted Phil.

**Where you at?**

A response didn't come for another 20 minutes.

**I'm outside of the main workroom. Bring me water?**

I smiled a little bit and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge.

My uncle could easily be seen from the elevator, and was of course talking on the phone. I took his advice about not spying on a secret agent and decidedly stayed out of earshot.

"No, you get the big guy," he said, with emphasis on big.

A bit of an awkward conversation to walk in on. I don't think Phil is gay, I mean he's with that cellist women that I don't know the name of. Even if he's super nice and loves babies.

"Hello, barista. What's your new job?" he said with a smile. He grabbed the water and took a swig.

"I have to play personal assistant to our guests at all times. I don't even get to bring you lunch," I pouted. I didn't really know what to think about it. These people could be totally amazing and incredible, but they could also be complete assholes.

Phil laughed and ruffled my hair.

"They're not that bad. Stark might try to make a move on you," he smiled.

Tony Stark. I internally groaned. I have to serve coffee to that thing.

"God, he's one of them?"

I know he could probably contribute something small, but I doubt he'd be the one to save us all in the end.

"I think you'll like these people. I really do."

"I think I'll have a brain aneurism trying to keep up with these people. I really do."

"That's dramatic," he said with a light eye roll.

"Phil, it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, COFFEE, and small tasks, whatever the hell that includes," I checked Phil for disbelief, but I didn't get any.

"These are amazing people and you're lucky to get this close to them."

"I'm sure," I said with a sigh.

"Look, I've got to go soon. Convincing Stark to join us should take a while."

"Pfft, don't try too hard," I laughed.

"Despite what you think, he's really not that bad."

"I'm pretty sure they said that about Hitler," I said with a scowl.

"That's a horrible comparison. Oh, and Lily, there might be a top secret file on my desk behind the computer that you should, under no circumstances read. Ever," he winked and started off towards the door.

You sly dog, you. I slipped my feet to the elevator and headed straight for his office. Floor 2, one hallway, third door on the left. No one was watching, so I decided to just slip in now. Behind the computer was, as promised, a file that read "Top Secret".

I just now understood what a badass my uncle is. Top secret files? Oh, yes.

Natasha Romanov, a Russian spy who's been living in her home country recently, and with no hint of returning. She looked lovely in her picture, but just like Maria, she had a horrible scowl on her face. I wasn't too keen on keeping up with another Agent Hill, even if I hadn't seen the original in headquarters yet.

Steve Rogers, World War II veteran liv – what the hell? The picture of him was recent, and he couldn't have been much older than me. I read on to find that he was preserved on ice for 70 years and then successfully resuscitated. I should've been amazed, but it didn't surprise me that S.H.E.I.L.D. kept so many secrets. He looked happy, if confused in said picture, and I decided he might not be so bad. Manners were valued a bit higher in his time, so maybe we could get along.

Tony Stark, who needed no introduction. In the years I spent majoring in physics, I've heard enough about this guy. He's a genius with revolutionary ideas for alternative energy. Gazillionaire, big monument with his name plastered on it, a million STD's. This man was also the picture of vanity. And in his picture, he was of course wearing a perverted smirk, which obviously says that the photographer was hot. The paragraph describing his starts actually caught me off guard a little bit. Becoming a prisoner, building the suit in secret, escaping just in time. Perhaps I misjudged this guy. Just a little.

Clint Barton, the assassin, as I would know him. Under his picture was a bold printed "Compromised". What the hell did that mean? If he was killed at Pegasus, they surely would just write "Deceased". I made a mental note to ask Phil about it.

Dr. Banner, whom I'd heard a couple of good things about. Nuclear Physicist (I fist pumped a little) living in India and practicing as a doctor. Kind disposition, easy to work with. He sounded like a really cool person, and I momentarily started to listen to Phil's voice in my head, telling me how great these people are.

Then I moved on to the next paragraph. Involved in a Gamma radiation accident that should've killed him. Transforms into big green monster when heart rate goes up as result. Should not be put in stressful environments or situations. Violent, non-compliant, destructive.

I screwed Phil's idea and went back to my own thoughts of never being able to keep up with these people. Everyone is extraordinary, and it's stupid to be thinking of myself, but it makes me feel so normal just reading about them.

Just being at SHIELD is weighing me down. These people are amazing. Everywhere there's someone tall and imposing standing in a hallway. And I would be something close to the opposite. I've always been short, and always been "cute". Never pretty, never gorgeous. Cute, if even that.

I slid the folder back behind Phil's computer and straightened out his chair. Leaving the office in a much different state than the one I had came in, I headed for the kitchen to get some comfort food.

A happy looking guy was standing in front of the elevator I needed to go down on, and I silently prayed he wouldn't try to talk to me.

"Hello," he said with a big smile.

I forced a little smirk. "Hi."

"So are you-,"

"Intern."

He mouthed an O.

The elevator dinged, so I got out as fast as I could.

He attempted to say goodbye, but I was walking away much too fast.

_-x-_

Night 3

I hated the food at SHIELD with burning passion. Everything was so damned healthy. My comfort food ended up being mashed cauliflower, because it was the closest thing they had to potatoes.

I went to bed early, because until the guests arrive, I was basically out of a job. I didn't have meals to pass out and my coffee job was null. It's a shame, because I was so good at it.

I decided that once I had an emotional breakdown and couldn't work at SHIELD anymore, I would become a world-class barista.

_-x-_

Notes

Angsty ending, I know. And it felt like a long wait for me, but it was only a couple days.

I love writing this, though. It's just ridiculously fun to do!

Thank you again, and again. I just love you guys, and I don't give a shit if that creeps you out.

Next chapter will introduce our "guests", and should be amazing.

Love,

_-Maddie-_


	4. The Guests

I'm starting this out with another thank you. Because you deserve it.

This chapter has been difficult to plan, but still fun to write. I hope I display interactions well, because that was definitely the hardest part of this one.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't the Avengers. I do own Lily.

_-x-_

Day 4

The first thing I felt this morning wasn't a beam of warm sunlight hitting my face. It wasn't a hand on my shoulder, or a fuzzy cat ticking my nose. To be fair, the sun wasn't out yet, I wasn't sleeping with anyone, and I'd never owned a cat in my life.

The first thing I did feel this morning was a crusty set of eyes. Not only was it disgusting, but it reminded me of all the horrible thoughts I had last night. I let it all out on my pillow, which was still a little wet. It put one hell of a damper on my day.

Oh well. I took a slow shower and tried washing the redness from my face. It didn't work. My green eyes felt puffy and agitated, and looked every bit of it. Makeup was enough to cover it, but I could still feel it. I gave up after a few minutes.

A check of the closet verified that I had been given an extra uniform for when I didn't want to wash the first one. They must think I'm lazy or something. Weird.

With a quick straighten of my hair and squeezing into that uniform, I was ready to face the day with a bright (if faked) smile.

I figured that I would pass out coffee until my "guests" arrive, or at least until Fury tells me that it isn't my job. He was sure to do it at some point. It wouldn't hurt to defy a little bit of authority though. Would it?

I used the standard 50 black, 50 cream and sugar method until I ran out of coffee. Fury hadn't stopped me yet, which I shouldn't be discouraged by. Everyone was so appreciative and nice. They treated me like a baby. Phil's baby.

Of all the things I imagined interning at SHIELD would be like, boring was never even possibly considered at any time. Now, sitting on the kitchen counter all alone with a tree of broccoli, I was bored out of my mind. Lunch time was only two hours away, but I didn't have anyone to deliver it to.

I filled my time by arranging a vegetable wedding, then realizing how retarded I was being, and finally getting more bored than ever before and eating them.

A strange sort of vibration moved throughout the carrier and was followed by a soft hum. A look out the window confirmed my fears- we were flying.

I laid my head down on the counter until it started hurting. My phone was just out of reach. I wriggled until I could get to it.

**You're friends just got here. Get down to the workroom. Vegetable marriages are unproductive.**

How did he see that? I reminded myself of the fact that my uncle is a secret agent and pinched the bridge of my nose.

How old was that text? 14 minutes.

Oh God.

_-x-_

I was panting by the time I got to the workroom. Absolutely panting. I paused before walking in, as I didn't want them to think of me as being so out of shape.

Of course, all eyes still turned to me. Three new faces filled the room.

Fury looked a little annoyed.

Mr. Rogers looked a little confused, but happy. I was Mr. Roger's neighbor *insert chuckle*.

Ms. Romanoff looked confused as well, but I could tell she didn't want to show it.

Maria was scowling. When was she not?

Dr. Banner looked puzzled. It was really an adorable expression.

Phil was grinning. He was so proud of me, even when I'd been lying down in the kitchen.

"Ms. Coulson, do you have an excuse for being late?" Fury asked with a booming voice.

I scratched the back of my neck. "Honestly, I was in the kitchen… playing with broccoli."

A beautifully awkward silence ensued.

"We watched," Maria said, as her scowl turned a bit more menacing.

Oh God. No. NO. I could've passed that off as a joke, but now I was screwed. Screwed to hell.

I've just destroyed any fragment of respect these people had or could've had for me. Broccoli? Really?

They must've noticed my look of horror, as nearly half of them cracked a smile.

"You gotta commend this girl for her honesty. That's amazing," Ms. Romanov smiled a little.

"And imagination," Dr. Banner added with a wider smile.

Fury looked back at me. "Ms. Coulson, I don't want to hear about you wasting food again."

"Oh no, I didn't waste them. I ate everything." Shut up, Lily. Just shut up.

Every smile got a little bigger, and as the equal and opposite reaction, Maria's scowl grew exponentially.

"Right. Don't do it again." Fury sighed. He continued talking to the team about locating the Tesseract, which I'd come to find out was the big blue cube in basement three.

I edged closer to Phil. He had a big grin on his face.

"How bad was it?" I asked with a nervous expression.

"It wasn't that horrible. I thought it was sweet," he laughed.

"God. What did Fury do?"

"He almost smiled. I hope you know how impressive that is."

I wasn't exactly proud. I'm sure Fury thought I had some form of mental handicap, and I couldn't blame him. He kept giving me odd looks, but didn't everyone? I couldn't imagine what the others thought of me, apart from being honest and having a good imagination.

"Do you know where the lab is?" Phil asked suddenly. It snapped me out of my daydream.

"No, should I?"

"After Fury's done talking to Banner he'll probably ask you to take him there."

"How do you get there?" I was suddenly scared at the prospect of showing them around. I didn't know where anything was, save the kitchen and my room.

"You go down the hallway you come in here from and then take a left. It's hard to miss."

"What about their rooms?"

"They're all in the same general area as yours."

"Phil, my room is in a big-ass general area," I was getting really anxious now. I didn't want to get lost in front of these people. At least I knew where the lab was now.

"Just look around a little. You'll find it eventually," he rubbed my arm before walking out, "Good luck," he whispered.

"Thanks," I whispered back.

On cue, Fury turned to me. "Ms. Coulson, escort Dr. Banner to his lab, please."

"Yes, Sir," I nodded and fell into step with the Dr.

I tried to recall Phil's words. Hallway you came from, take a left.

I walked down the hallway with confidence, but faltered with the left turn. He didn't exactly specify what kind of a left turn I was to make. Sharp left turn, soft left turn, door on the left, second hallway left.

I silently hoped that Dr. Banner wasn't noticing my distress, but of course, the guy's pretty smart and he caught on fast. He was still patient though, and very polite about it.

I finally turned to him and mouthed a sorry. He smiled when I called Phil, who was on speed dial, of course.

"Hi, Phil."

"Is something wrong?"

"No nothing's wrong. I'm just kind of… lost here."

A roar of laughter came through the other end of the connection.

"Phil, this isn't funny, man. It's pretty embarrassing actually," my cheeks were turning redder by the second.

"Oh God, this is good. It's my fault though, I'll admit it. Go up a floor and take the left."

I rolled my eyes.

"Only you would give me bad directions and then laugh at me."

He hung up, of course. Just like Phil.

I headed for the elevator with an embarrassed expression. This guy must think I'm an idiot by now. I definitely felt like one.

The silence just got to be too much after a while.

"I'm really sorry about that. I've never really been good with directions," I said sheepishly.

"No harm done. It's good that you're willing to admit it," he smiled shyly.

I made the all elusive left turn and nearly slammed into the door when I did. The lab sported ridiculously expensive equipment. Sliding hanging computers that I should've known the name of were… well hanging and sliding.

A big smile spread across my face looking around at the reference sheets. Equations and formulas that I already had memorized were scattered around the papers, and it made me feel accomplished. I sincerely doubt that this guy needed reference sheets, though. He seemed pretty on top of it.

"You know, it isn't too often you see people smiling at the periodic table," he looked up from his glasses as a computer booted up.

"I have a thing for reference sheets, I guess," and I did. I loved them.

"Your uncle said you were a physics major?"

"Yeah, I haven't done anything related to the degree yet, though," I rubbed the back of my neck. It sounded weird to say it like that. Between my last job at a planetarium and an earlier one at a fro-yo shop, I hadn't done much physics outside of the classroom. But I still remembered every bit of it. That was back when I was still trying to impress my parents.

"Well, do you think you could work out a few problems for me? If you're up for it," he trailed off.

"Yeah, definitely." I smiled.

I was about to prove to him that I wasn't normally as stupid as I'd been this morning.

_-x-_

"So if the middle of the Tesseract was a liquid, like you said, wouldn't that make it harder to harness energy from?" My brain was sore. I couldn't wrap my head around any of it.

"It depends on the composition, but because the matter itself hasn't… your phones vibrating," he swallowed.

"Yeah, just a minute," I reached into my pocket, which was hard to get into, considering how tight this uniform was.

"Hi Phil."

"Okay, you need to remember that you have more than one guest, Lily."

"Oh man, it's past lunch. I'm really screwing up today," I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed.

"I know you're nervous, and that's normal."

"I never said it wasn't normal, Phil," I sighed again.

"You're sighing, which means you're getting down. Or you're tired. Probably both."

"It's both."

"Just get these lunches out, okay? Then you can go take a nap or something," he said reassuringly.

"Alright. Thanks Phil," I hung up gently.

Today wasn't my best day. Not only had I embarrassed myself in front of direct superiors, gotten lost while escorting, and gotten a headache while trying to prove my worth, I'd missed lunch. I felt like crying. And I usually don't feel like crying. Ever. I turned around slowly, where Dr. Banner was looking up at his sliding computer.

"I thought I should've said something about lunch, but you were learning a lot and… you okay?" his voice softened barely.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied very blatantly, "I'll be back in a minute," I flew out of the door and headed straight for the kitchen.

It's a wonder I didn't break the elevator button. It almost made me feel bad, until I remembered my task of lunch delivery.

The last place I saw the other two was in the workroom, and I could only guess that was where they stayed.

I was partially right, as Rogers was sitting in a spinning leisure chair and spinning leisurely while Fury lectured the workforce on policies.

"I brought you your lunch, and I'm really sorry it's late," I said sincerely.

"Thank you, ma'am," he said with a wide smile, "and it's not a problem."

I gave him a weak smile and walked out before Fury saw me and recruited me for something else.

Ms. Romanoff wasn't anywhere to be found, and of course, her being a spy made this discovery less than surprising.

**Romanoff?**

The response was near instant.

**Training in the basement. Just leave it in the kitchen. I'll tell her.**

I sighed again.

**Thanks.**

Now all that was left was Dr. Banner, and I was relieved that I could just hang out in the lab for a while.

He hadn't changed positions at all, which concerned me just a bit.

"I've got your lunch," I slid the box over to him and sat down at the table. I studied a few files on Loki after being thanked, and I was scared out of my mind just reading about him. A snippet of a paragraph described his methods of mind control and even had a wayward mention of Hawkeye. I put two and two together and started to worry.

It's no secret that Hawkeye is a badass. Of course our "guests" seem to be interesting enough, and their alter-egos are impressive. But against Loki, right now we didn't have much of a chance.

Maybe if this guy would go green for a while things would even out.

My phone vibrated in my pocket again, and Dr. Banner called it out.

"Phone," he said gently, almost like he was talking to it.

**Thought I'd remind you about dinner, because of your amazing memory.**

My eyes rolled.

**Thanks**

I got up from my seat and wasn't surprised to find that my butt was numb.

"Do you need coffee or something?" I asked Banner lightly.

"Do you guys have tea?" he asked shyly.

"I don't know, but I'll check," I walked out on the last part of that sentence.

We did in fact have tea bags, but which kind he liked was a complete mystery to me.

I just chose a random one and stuffed it in the hot water.

Assuming that Romanov was still training in the basement, I left her dinner on the counter. The lunch was gone, so I can only assume that she ate it at some point.

Mr. Rogers looked bored out of his mind.

"Do you want to see your new room?" I asked him kindly.

He obliged and locked arms with me, even if I was supposed to be leading him.

After a few minutes of searching, we found room 89A.

He was thankful and happy to get to sleep early, as anyone would be.

I delivered Banners dinner to him next and then he ran a few equations by me. All of it had to do with the tesseract's core, which had never been seen.

When the conversation produce a comfortable silence I excused myself and headed downstairs.

I was relieved to the point that I laid down in my own room.

_-x-_

Night 4

Two hours later, I was so tired my head was pounding.

Banner looked to be in a comparable state from the view outside of the glass room.

I knocked on the door and poked my head through.

"Fury wants lights out in 10 minutes, Dr. Banner," I said with a light grin.

"I'm coming. Are you staying up here?"

"Nah, I need sleep, too." I yawned a little.

"I probably shouldn't ask you of all people for directions, but do you know where my room is?" he smiled.

"According to Phil, it's in the same general area as mine, so I shouldn't get lost this time."

"And watch us get lost now that you've said that," he laughed.

_-x-_

"Phil, where the hell is room 142B?"

The phone erupted with static that could only be explained as Phil's laughter.

_-x-_

Notes

Whew, hard one to write. I'd love feedback on this one.

Of course, I love feedback always. Always.

Thank you guys so very much. You mean a lot to me:)

Next chapter will add in everyone's favorite self obsessed hero!

It should be good.

Love,

_-Maddie-_


	5. Stark

Whoo! Let's do this! As said before, Tony's coming! Anyone else love him?

I have an issue. Is Natasha's last name Romanov, or Romanoff? Gimme some feedback on that one, please. I'm entirely too lazy to be bothered with googling it.

Thanks again for the reviews! They make my day.

I extra proofread this because of my grammar problems last chapter. Sorry 'bout that :(

I even used an apostrophe before 'bout.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. She's pretty cool.

_-x-_

Day 5

Considering the fact that I didn't go to bed until two, I was exhausted. My head had a drumbeat and my eyes had dark bags underneath them.

Two o'clock was, obviously, the time when we finally found room 142B after one and a half hours of searching.

Then like an idiot, I realized that my room was only four numbers away from his. Naturally, I was a bit mad at myself, but it was just too funny to believe. I remembered telling myself to look at my door number before I regretted it.

138B. Or so I found out last night.

My shower went by fast, as did every part of my morning preparation. I felt surprisingly good about today, despite how awful yesterday was. Fury smiled at my vegetable wedding, Rogers didn't care too much about his late lunch, and Dr. Banner took getting lost twice as well as anyone could.

It wasn't all too bad in the end. These people weren't all too bad in the end, even if I didn't know them well. I wasn't looking forward to Stark's arrival, but I tried to remind myself that any other girl would love meeting him. It made it bearable.

Phil texted me while I straightened my hair.

**Bring everyone's breakfast to the workroom.**

That's easy enough.

**Will do.**

I headed on down to the kitchen and turned on the coffee machines. My own breakfast was a veggie omelet I made in the microwave. It was entirely too healthy.

I almost had a seizure when I saw that the broccoli had been moved to the back of the fridge.

With 2 cups of black coffee, a sugar bowl, a bottle of creamer, 3 breakfast boxes, and one cup of hot tea, I headed to the elevator, and then to the workroom.

They all were sitting in the spinning chairs that I loved so dearly. I deserved one.

I learned that Mr. Rogers drinks coffee with as much cream and sugar that's able to fit in the cup and that Ms. Romanoff despises having sugar in her coffee. She says it's for girls. Strange.

"Tea," the Dr. said as I passed him his beverage, "You remembered."

"I remembered my room number, too," I mumbled.

He grinned a little bit. Fury turned around and started talking about the leads on Loki, the Tesseract, even the wayward mention of when Tony was coming. The statement was cut off by said gazillionaire making a very loud entrance into the room.

He did his greeting and flattering parade before finally taking his seat. I envied him for getting that chair deeply.

"Breakfast! Where's mine?" he said with a devilish grin. Maria scowled a bit deeper.

Fury turned to me, and through a nod and a grunt, he conveyed the message perfectly.

"I'm on it," I claimed. Whether there was another breakfast in the kitchen didn't matter. I was making myself look helpful and useful, while earning points with the Director. Tony started to jibber jabber, and it was audible from the elevator.

There was, in fact, another breakfast for Mr. Stark. I started to wonder where these breakfasts come from in the first place. That of course made me wonder about May, and I hoped to God she was okay.

Tony had stopped making a scene by the time I made it to the workroom. Maria scowled at me. It was getting old.

"Thank you," he lifted my hair to read my nametag, and I fought the urge to smack his hand away, "Lily." He smirked like a playboy. It's fair, because he is one.

I waited until I was standing next to Phil to roll my eyes.

"I am the only person allowed to touch your hair," Phil expressed some mock hurt.

"Oh, Phil. You're the only person I want to touch my hair."

Soon enough, Rogers and Romanoff headed to the basement for training and Banner and Stark headed to the lab for quality science time. I had a feeling those two would get along. Banner was quiet, Stark was loud. Banner was humble, Stark was arrogant.

"Check out my office?" Phil asked with his head tilted.

"Of course."

We locked arms and took the elevator to the top floor. He let me press the button, bless him.

This office was exponentially cooler than the last. All of the paperwork was replaced by a tablet that could hold everything and more. The chairs spun in full circles, which I took advantage of. Most of all, he had so many windows that light streamed through.

I gasped when I saw a cloud, as I'd completely forgotten that we were flying. It was a well built flying machine, considering how easy it was to forget you were airborne. It did seem like a bad place to be attacked, though, and speaking of attacks…

"What happened to Barton?" I asked suddenly. "And Selvic?"

Phil hesitated. He wanted to lie to me. "Well, Loki sort of took control of their minds."

"I got that much from the lab files. How does he do it?" I hated this hesitant, keep you from harm attitude.

"Loki's scepter touched their chests and they changed sides just like that. It's a bit scary to think about."

I humphed and started spinning in the chair. If he could change someone's entire thought process that easily, why wasn't he here trying to pick us off one by one? I'd do that if I were the super-villain.

Of course I'm not the super-villain, and thoughts like that could probably be used against me. I wonder if SHIELD already has a way to read minds. Probably, considering that they monitor the kitchen so well.

"I don't think you want to be late for lunch delivery, do you?"

I checked the clock on the wall.

"Later," I said before running out the door as fast as I could. If I hurried, I wouldn't be late, but if anything stopped me on the way, I was screwed.

_-x-_

I considered leaving Roger's and Romanoff's lunches in the kitchen, but it just seemed rude for some reason. Not to mention I needed to restore my confidence in this group.

One look at the two fighting restored my confidence to maximum. Rogers was taking out a punching bag like it was a Nazi, and Romanoff shot a target dead on with her eyes closed.

It helped to know we weren't hopeless. Romanoff spotted me and headed over for a break. She thanked me and laid down on the bench I was sitting on. Her lunch was a salad, which was pretty stupid, considering how hard she'd been training.

"So, how many days of internship are left?" she caught me off guard.

"Well, 25 I guess," I sighed. It was a bit discouraging, really.

"Eh, that's not too bad. You'll make it through," she smiled. She had a lovely smile that she should deploy more often.

"I can only hope," I muttered.

Rogers saw us, and came over for lunch too. His knuckles were wrapped, but there was still a little bit of blood.

"Thanks," he said, and grabbed his salad.

"We must look strange," I smiled.

"Hmm?" Rogers asked.

"Well, you're laying down and panting," I nodded at Romanov, "You're slouching and bleeding," I nodded to Rogers, "And I'm giving you salads. Why the hell am I giving you salads?"

Both of them laughed. It really was ridiculous though. These guys deserved cake.

"I could go for some coffee," Romanoff sighed. Rogers nodded.

"Black?" I asked with a grin.

"Hell, no. I want sugar," she laughed.

"Well then," I got up and headed for the elevator, "I'll get it too you soon."

I found myself liking those two, against all odds.

The remaining lunches were for Banner and Stark, who were probably in the lab. Oh, boy.

"-reminds me, I left my phone in my room." Stark bumped into me full on while walking out the lab door.

"Sorry there, sweet cheeks," he said in passing. He couldn't possibly be bothered to stop. That would be preposterous.

And sweet cheeks? What the hell?

I unconsciously rolled my eyes.

"You really can't stand him, can you?" Banner's smile was wide.

"How do you stand him? He just called me sweet cheeks."

"He hasn't been bad with me, I guess. And he's pretty smart. It seems to me that most ladies would be quite proud of being hit on by him," he observed.

"I don't get flattered by man-whores, even the rich ones," I deadpanned.

"Ouch. That burns," he made a hissing noise.

"I wouldn't consider him to be hitting on me, anyway," I dismissed it.

"Sweet cheeks."

I blushed. Hard.

"Here's your lunch, before I forget," I said after spending a minute recovering.

"Thanks."

I started for the door.

"Oh, and Coulson- can I just call you Lily?"

I nodded.

"Can you remind your uncle about the files I need?"

"Yeah, I can do it."

"Thanks, Lily."

"You're welcome, Bruce."

_-x-_

**This is Natasha, Steve and I are in the helicopter hangar. Do you have the coffee?**

I smiled, and silently wondered where she got my number. I figured maybe Phil passed it out.

**I'm on my way with it.**

How do I get to the helicopter hangar? How?

A fire escape map in a hallway I stumbled upon ended up being the most help. It required a trip outside, which meant that I needed a mask.

I was scared out of my mind. The wind was whipping me in every direction and my mask was making my face hurt. When I finally got there, I must've been red. Steve helped me with my helmet.

"Coffee?" I coughed.

They smiled and grabbed their cups.

"Thank you, Lily," they said in near unison.

I nodded. "Why are you guys in this hangar anyway?"

"He wanted to learn to fly one of the helicopters. He's way too old for them, though," she said bluntly.

Steve rolled his eyes. "If she'd be willing to teach me, there wouldn't be a problem."

An awkward silence ensued. I understood both sides of the argument, but I didn't think they needed my opinion.

"I'm off then. Enjoy those," I said quietly and slipped away as fast as I could.

I'm sure they'll work it out. Steve seems like a hard person to stay mad at, with that All-American charm he has going for him.

_-x-_

"Any new developments?" Phil smiled when I walked into his office. I claimed a spinning chair and went crazy with it.

"Well, Phil, I'm on first name basis with three guests so far, and the fourth I'm not friendly with by choice."

"Look at you! Making so much progress. I thought you would kill these people."

"I thought so, too. Bruce said you had files for him," I trailed off a little.

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. Stay put," he said while walking out the door.

I spun around in my spinning chair until my head hurt. I thought over the day, the annoyance of Stark, being able to make Natasha laugh, the undying embarrassment caused by Bruce.

I spent a minute pondering their alter-egos. The Black Widow wasn't too far of a stretch, nor was Captain America. I was used to seeing Stark commercials with the Iron Man suit by now, so I didn't think too much of his transformation. As for the Hulk, Bruce would be the last person I'd ever envision as a big green rage monster, as Tony put it earlier. He was the exact opposite of everything the Hulk was. Exact.

Phil interrupted my thoughts with his sudden appearance. He had a thick stack of files in his hand that read Top Secret.

"Do I get to read these?" I cocked my head to the side.

"Now, Lily. You know that I'd have to shoot you if you read ANYTHING that said Top Secret on the front," he gave a sarcastic expression that was ridiculously cute.

I returned his expression with a sly look, grabbed the stack, and spun away from him in the chair. From there I poured through these lovely Tesseract files.

As Bruce knew already, the Tesseract did, in fact, have a liquid core. Damn. I challenged that. I'd have to find out a way to swallow my pride.

"I'm off then. Thank you Phil, you are a gentlemen and a scholar," I bowed.

He grinned. I slipped down the hall and into the elevator. I had to go drop off the huge stack of files to the lab, but I could deal with it. Even if Tony was annoying.

"Hello, dear," Stark said as I walked in. Phil is the only person allowed to call me dear, too.

"Hello, Mr. Stark." I kept it formal with that one. Bruce caught on and chuckled just enough for me to hear. I passed him his files, which he picked up with an over-eager expression.

"You're Coulson's daughter, am I right?" Tony popped a yogurt covered blueberry in his mouth between words. I've never been a big blueberry fan. I go for broccoli.

"Niece, but he might as well be my mom," I smiled and walked over to the table to get their lunch garbage.

He laughed loudly. It was an irritating laugh.

"Do you guys need anything?" I smiled weakly.

"I'd love some coffee," Stark looked at me with puppy dog eyes. "And dinner."

"Tea?" I asked Bruce, though I didn't really need to wait for a reply. Of course he wanted tea. He always wanted tea.

"If it's not too much," He said shyly. That sweetheart.

I proceeded to the kitchen to find the four dinners, tea, and coffee. I made a stop at the helicopter hangar to drop off the other dinners. The first thing I heard was in Russian. I could only assume it wasn't nice.

I awkwardly placed both dinners a space apart from each other. It was obvious whom she was cussing out, though I doubt he was taking much from it. I doubt Steve took Russian in High School.

With the sky getting darker, I took a little sit down in my room. First, I went for some Yoga. It hurt my back like hell. I tried meditating, but I just couldn't do it. My mind just wouldn't stay clear for that long.

I was frustrated, so I opted for listening to music. Phil always made a point to listen to different music than me. We had ridiculous troubles trying to find CD's we both liked during road-trips.

It was a wonder I didn't fall asleep to it, though I wasn't surprised that I wasted 2 hours trying.

10:52 meant that lights were to be out in 8 minutes. Fury says that work done past then isn't reliable.

I knew that Bruce would be in the lab trying to stay up late. Silly goose.

"Lights out. You know the drill," I stuck my head through the door.

"I'm coming, just wait a minute," he gathered a couple of files and carried them with him. No doubt he'd be reading all night. "Are you going to ask where Tony is?" he smiled.

I just gave a little glare as response.

"He's trying to find alcohol in the kitchen."

"Oh, God. I hope he doesn't eat my broccoli," I thought for a minute. Considering how healthy the food is here, I doubt they condone drinking.

"He wouldn't eat broccoli when their honeymooning. That's not cool. Press the button. I know you want to."

I did, in fact want to press the elevator button. Considering that I abused it yesterday, it needed some love.

"So, those files fell open magically, and I read that the Tesseract does, in fact have a liquid core," I decided that I might as well bring it up now, before we start fighting over it.

"It would be really immature to of me to say 'I told you so'," he chuckled.

"Yeah, I should've paid better attention in that class," I sighed.

"Which one?"

"AP Tesseract Studies."

The elevator dinged.

"In case you get lost, your room is only four from mine. It's really, really hard to find sometimes," he teased.

"Whatever. Be glad I was brave enough to call Phil at two in the morning."

"Good point," he laughed. I walked the four doors down to my room and turned the key.

"Goodnight, Bruce," I gave him a sleepy smile. He returned it.

"G'night, sweet cheeks."

I closed the door before he could see me blushing.

I got in bed before I could look in the mirror and see myself blushing.

And I made a point to fall asleep before I could think about why I was blushing.

_-x-_

Notes

Soooooo. Despite the time-management issues I've been going through, I liked how this one turned out.

Don't get me wrong, I love Tony, but I think it's hilarious how oblivious he can be to other people. I think that having Lily secretly hate him will be pretty cute. As for Bruce, he's just perpetually cute:)

Yesterday I went out and ordered a veggie sandwich, right? I kind of thought it would have onions, mushrooms and peppers – that sort of thing. It had melted cheese and raw freaking broccoli. Who does that?

Anyway, I refrained from marrying the vegetation, because my parents were there. They don't take kindly to food marriage. It's illegal where we live:)

I need sleep, so I bid you goodnight.

_-Maddie-_


	6. In Which Steve Rogers Obtains Swag

Woot. I've been staying up 'till three every morning writing this and watching PBS. I have a feeling I'm the coolest person ever now, other than Sherlock, of course.

This chapter should go smoothly, not too much happens, but they need a little time for character development, don't they?

Enjoy, and thanks for the reviews.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. She's sweet.

_-x-_

Day 6

There are some mornings when everything feels perfect. Like when I wake up right at the end of a sleep cycle, or see the end of a good dream. There are also mornings when I wake up in the middle of a deep sleep and I just feel like shit.

Based on my luck, it can be assumed it was a bad morning. What woke me up was a bout of snoring coming from the room above me. It was ridiculously loud and gross. I made a point to look at a room map later and see who it was.

I was up a full hour early, so I decided to waste all of my time in the shower. I sang a few songs before realizing that I had neighbors here. My old apartment wasn't exactly in a high-population area, and I'd been spoiled from not having anyone to bother. Out of the shower and drying my hair, I stopped to look in the mirror.

I stared at my cheeks. What exactly makes a pair of cheeks sweet? I started blushing too hard, so I turned away from the mirror. Not about to embarrass myself like that.

My hair was on rare form today, and it made me grateful that I was up early. I'd nearly broken a comb by the time the tangles were out. The straightener wasn't doing its best today either. It gave me a bad feeling that I wouldn't end the day with straight hair, especially if I spent anytime outside.

**Black coffee, tea and two breakfasts to the lab, black coffee and breakfast to the basement, coffee with cream and sugar to the helicopter hangar.**

You could deduce a lot of things from that text. One, everyone was up early and ready to go. Two, Bruce and Tony were getting along well enough to work together. And third, Steve and Natasha hadn't resolved their argument.

**You take the orders, I serve the coffee?**

**Just get it done, Lily:)**

I decided that I should make two trips. The lab would have to come first, as it was closest.

I had to open the door with my foot, considering how full my arms were.

"Good morning," I chirped. I sounded quite a bit better than how I was feeling.

"And good morning to you, Lily," Tony said without turning around.

Bruce did, however, turn around and took both breakfasts from me.

"You sound happy," he noticed, of course.

"That's not a bad thing, right?"

He shrugged.

"Tell Phil if you need anything else," I said lazily.

"No need. I hacked our phones and programmed in every number yesterday," Tony said in all seriousness.

Really? Was that necessary? It did make sense considering Natasha's text last night.

"Thanks?" I said and walked out the door.

How did he get to all of our phones? That's insane, and completely scary.

I got down to the kitchen and prepared for my second trip. Hangar could come first, because I was totally dreading the mask. It felt like it sucked my face off, even if there wasn't any suction involved.

Steve saw me coming and took the items from my hands.

He nodded, I nodded back. It saved me the hassle of taking the mask off and putting it back on.

As expected, part of my hair started to get wavy. Damn.

I headed for the basement next, where Natasha was beating the crap out of a dummy. Maybe she was pretending that the dummy was a certain Captain…

I set the breakfast and coffee down on the bench because it didn't look like she was breaking anytime soon. Natasha was a hard worker, and I admired that about her, even if she seemed to have a temper.

Oh well. Phil was in his office, like always. It felt a little boring here without any super top secret files, or dangerous weapons. Spinning in the chair was still fun, though. That never got old.

Phil seemed a little stressed out, but I knew better than to ask him about it. Of course he'd be stressed out when a guy like Loki was on the loose. I was stressed out. I'm sure everyone in the building was worried by now.

I don't think they had a death toll from Pegasus, but we all knew it was substantial.

"Phil, what happened to May?" I asked with a soft voice.

"The cook?" he swallowed.

"Yeah, her."

"They haven't heard," he went back to the computer screen.

I swallowed. It wasn't like I knew her well, but it still hurt. I've always been an idealist. I don't think anyone should die until they're one hundred years old at the least.

My first experience with death was a rough one. My old beloved dog had a heart attack, I was only eight, and Phil was the only adult that cared enough to talk to me about it.

"He couldn't stay forever, Lily."

"No, I think he could've done it."

"It doesn't work that way, though. We all have to die, and he was an old dog."

"That doesn't make it any better."

And that was the first time it sunk in for me, that one day I would die, I'd have a depressing funeral, and all that was left of me would be a tombstone. I was only 8, too, which probably explains my death issues.

"She was old, though. 72," he gave me a weak smile.

"That makes it better," I said directly. He smiled, and I wasn't sure if he knew what I was referencing. Hell, I didn't know if he remembered any of that.

"It's lunchtime," I smiled weakly and walked out of the office.

_-x-_

Meatloaf.

Fury really did check on the cameras too much. In all fairness, these guys completely deserved something better than salad, and he knew it.

Natasha would be receiving lunch first today, mainly because she was working the hardest. I left the lunch on what I've noticed to be her favorite resting bench. A couple of gunshots scared the hell out of me, but at least I knew what she was doing.

Steve was next, so on went the dreaded mask. Again, I couldn't see him, which was a bit scary, considering that he might be flying a helicopter. Needless to say, I got away as fast as I could.

And the dynamic duo was the last on the list, of course.

Tony saw me coming from the window and called it.

"Lunch!" he near yelled and snatched the box with a smile.

Bruce was quite a bit less enthusiastic. He did say thank you, though.

"Thanks, Lily," Tony said as an afterthought.

I turned to a sliding computer and saw a percentage. "And this would be…?"

"That's a search for Loki. When it loads, we'll know near exactly where he is, and we'll… intercept him," Bruce said finally, after searching for a humane word that described what they'd do to him.

"Sounds like an understatement," I said under my breath.

"Maybe."

I took my seat and watched Tony shamelessly scarf down his meatloaf.

"So, I guess you've heard me snoring by now," Tony said suddenly.

"That was you?" I asked in disbelief. I had my suspicions, but I didn't have the guts to follow them.

"Left my breathing strips at home. But to be fair, you sing in the shower," he pointed his plastic fork at me.

"How did you hear that?" I asked in significantly more disbelief.

"A bit hard to miss," he coughed, "It sounded pretty good, though. A bit weak on the high notes, maybe."

"How did you know it was me, though?"

"You sing like you talk. Or talk like you sing- just, you get it," he looked frustrated.

"I've never noticed that," I said with slight suspicion.

"Okay, I read the room map, but to be fair to myself, I didn't exactly know which room was yours and which was Natasha's. There was still a little bit of deduction in there," he fessed up.

I could only imagine that Natasha didn't have too good of a singing voice, based on the way that Tony was cringing.

"But the moral of the story is, snoring is not a valid reason to dislike someone."

I was caught off guard by that, I'll admit. "Excuse me?" I asked gently.

"You can't stand me," he leaned forward, "Why is that?"

"Well, I don't hate you or anything, it's just that you seem like a total douche bag, man," I said boldly. Bruce spat out a little bit of water.

"Douche bag? Come on," he tossed his head back, "Really?"

"Well, I mean, you have a gigantic building with your name plastered on it, you flip off the paparazzi on a daily basis, and you spend ridiculous amounts of money on parties and alcohol. That doesn't even cover your track record with women."

"Fair enough. You're smarter than you look," he said with a slight squint.

"Do I not look smart?" I asked, and half turned my head to Bruce.

"I didn't call you sweet cheeks for nothing."

I bit my tongue.

"But can we at least call a truce? I'm obviously not as 'douchey' as you thought, so you don't have much reason to hate me, and you're not as stupid as I thought, so I have no reason to treat you like a five-year old. We cool?" he held out his fist.

I hesitated, and then bumped fists. "We're cool."

"Blow it up," he said, while 'blowing it up'. "You'll catch on," he patted my shoulder.

_-x-_

"Okay, I'm getting dinner," I sat up from the computer bench. I could only take but so much of their scientific flattery, even if it was adorable.

"Can you bring ours first?" Bruce asked excitedly.

"I guess," I smiled and got out the door.

As promised, I got them their food first, and they were grateful.

I took Natasha's dinner to the basement, where she was conveniently on break.

"Hey," she said between pants. I sat down next to her and handed over the dinner box. It looked like she was dying and having her last meal.

"Tough workout?" I asked dumbly. It didn't look like she just had an easy one.

"Yeah," her breathing slowed down to something close to normal, "You could call it that."

"Is everything okay with you and Steve?" I asked boldly. I probably shouldn't have said that.

She laughed. "Oh yeah, we're fine. I got someone to teach him."

"Oh. Then what was the Russian I heard last night?" I cocked my head to the side.

"I never said we didn't fight," she chuckled.

"I thought you two would duke it out or something," I smiled. It wasn't, however, a thought to smile at. It was scary as hell. I stood up to leave.

"Before you go," she panted once, "have you heard anything new about Cli-Barton?" she corrected herself to a more formal term.

"Well, I haven't heard anything new, I guess. I could ask Phil…"

"No, it's totally fine. Just concerned about him, that's all," she panted some more.

"We all are," I smiled. Not entirely sure if that was the truth, but it sounded like a good thing to say. I left the basement wondering about the pair. I should do some research into them. My mind was getting all gossipy.

The frigid winds put my head back on straight. The helicopter hangar wasn't far away, but it always felt like miles. When I finally got in, I wanted to stay in forever.

Steve helped with the mask and took the dinner and water. He thanked me, so I was ready to head back out.

"Hey, Lily," Steve asked shyly, "You're pretty… young right?"

"I like to think so. Why?" I inquired.

"I don't understand… 'slang'. I can't tell if these people are insulting me," he looked a little bit hurt and fragile. Poor thing.

"Well, what did they say?"

"They said I had… swag," he looked so embarrassed. I had to hold in the laughter that wanted to come out. This was just too much. Too much.

"Steve, that's a compliment," I smiled.

His face brightened considerably, "What does it mean?"

What does swag mean? I don't think there's really a definition. "Well, it's kind of like confidence. The way you walk, the way you dress. If it's good, you have swagger," I mused.

"Swagger?" he looked puzzled.

"Swag is short for swagger," I grinned. This was really a sweet conversation.

"Ohhh. I gotcha. Thank you, Lily, I was worried for a while," he said sheepishly.

"Not a problem, Steve. I'm pretty decent with young people things if you need help again," I punched his arm lightly.

I put on my mask and braved the wind. It was bearable this time, considering how happy that little convo made me.

When I got back inside, I headed back for the lab. Now that Tony and I were on good terms, the lab would officially be my favorite place in headquarters.

The locator on the sliding computer was up to 82%, which meant that they'd be off soon to a mystery location. It could also mean that Loki was coming back with them. I swallowed.

Would I have to get Loki food, too?

"You alright?" Bruce asked while moving his hand in front of my face.

"Yeah, why?"

"You just did a big nervous swallow," he smiled.

"Oh," I said quietly. I felt a bit self conscious there, knowing that he watched me swallow. "You probably even know what I was thinking about," I let a weak smile play across my features.

"If I had to guess, I'd say you were thinking about Loki. I don't know if they'd make you get his food, though," he frowned.

"Hell, we might not even feed him," Tony interjected.

"He couldn't hurt you anyway," Bruce sighed, "They have a good cell for him." The last bit came out as a mumble.

A little beep came from the screen beside me, signifying that it was done loading.

Stuttgart, Germany.

And they're off.

_-x-_

Night 6

"Good night, Lily."

"Good night, Bruce."

_-x-_

Notes

Not much to say despite the obvious. Steve has swag, and he deserves to know it. Kept the ending simple, and she and Tony made up! Maybe a lot of things happened in this chapter…

Oh well. Tell me whatcha thunk.

Love,

_-Maddie-_


	7. Curls

So, this chapter could very well be so cute, you'll cry. I did.

Anyway, let's do this! Forgot to mention that we hit the 100 reviews mark last chapter, which I am eternally grateful for. Love you guys:3

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. She's cute.

_-x-_

Day 7

That morning, I didn't really wake up. I hadn't exactly been asleep. My head was just sort of in a sleep-like daze that didn't really add up to much of anything. Oh well.

I showered, and even sang a few songs, knowing that Tony wasn't upstairs. Headquarters would most definitely feel empty today without Tony's cheeky comments, Natasha's relentless workouts, and -of course- Steve's swag.

I didn't even qualify as a barista today, considering that my only customer drank tea. This also meant that I was alone with Bruce. All day.

For some reason that I refused to address, every time I thought about Bruce, my face got hot. The back of neck got itchy. My tongue swelled just a little. I silently told myself that it was hormones and got out of the shower to work on my hair.

Oh god. It's gone.

I searched the floor, the cabinets, the walls. Even under my bed.

Where the hell was my straightener? I couldn't survive without it. I could very well keel over any minute now.

**Phil, have you seen my flat iron?**

I started shaking in anticipation.

**No, but Natasha made a stop at your room before we left. Mean anything?**

I started shaking harder.

**Natasha, have you seen my flat iron?**

The reply came a bit faster than I would've expected.

**Yeah, I took it actually.**

**Why?**

**Your hair was starting to get wavy yesterday, so I wanted to see what it looked like without the iron.**

**You aren't even going to see me today.**

**I'm keeping it until you embrace your curls:)**

I considered typing something to the effect of 'screw you, you stupid hoe', but I stopped myself. She even texted a goddamn smiley face. Assassins don't do that.

I sighed and picked up my hairbrush. At least she let me keep that.

The tangles were out and I was left with a puffy mess. It reminded me of the days before I had styling tools and had to brave the world with my out-of-control hair.

Phil stopped me from just shaving it all off more than once. I was tempted to go for it this morning, until I read over Natasha's text again.

Embrace your curls. Natasha found a way to love hers. Maybe I could do it.

I looked in the mirror. No I couldn't.

_-x-_

**Only got one customer today, and he drinks tea. Are you okay with your hair?**

Way to remind me that I'd be spending the one day my hair goes insane with Bruce. This beats being watched officiating a broccoli wedding.

**I'm not okay.**

**Figured that much.**

I made my way down to the kitchen faster than ever before. The insecurities were staggering. I ran my fingers through my hair near every 20 seconds.

When I got to the kitchen, those smart people already knew that I only needed one meal today. With a green tea bag in hot water, I slowly made it to the elevator. I didn't want to do this. Not at all.

I knocked on the door before coming in, even if it was made of glass.

"Good morning, Lily," he smiled and took his breakfast and tea.

"Good morning," I smiled back. He hadn't said anything yet, but I knew he was laughing on the inside. My hair looked horrible, and it was the only thing I could think about. I stared out the window behind his workspace and watched a couple clouds float by.

"They just got to Germany a few minutes ago," he said.

"It took them that long?"

"Yeah, they had some 'problems' along the way."

I would easily say that said problems were caused by Tony. He's the kind of guy that would hop out of a plane and harass a few birds.

"So do they know where he is?" I asked somewhat suddenly.

He turned towards me and moved to the window. "Not exactly, but I think they know where he's headed. "

"They said that he could… change people with the scepter, right?" I said weakly.

He nodded.

"Couldn't he get at them?" I started worrying hardcore. We couldn't handle him having someone as swaggalicious as Steve on his side. We'd be screwed.

"Well, I don't think Steve or Natasha would let him get anywhere close enough to their chests for that, and considering that Tony has that metal abdomen…" he trailed off.

"Oh," I said. I felt stupid now.

"It's still scary that he can do that to the normal people, though."

"God, we couldn't lock him up then, could we? He'd have so many people to break him out," I was getting more worried by the minute.

"He couldn't get out of that cell," he said in a quiet, yet surprisingly angry voice.

"Where is it anyway?" I asked gently.

"Just look down there." He pointed to the inner ship.

I did as told and saw a big circle. Not too much was visible, but it didn't look easy to get into.

"How old is it? I mean, they only knew he was coming a couple of days ago."

"It's pretty old. They built it for me, actually." He laughed in an oddly pissed off way.

I almost stepped back. "What?"

"The other guy," he said so quietly.

"Oh," I'd forgotten, again. "But they didn't need it. I guess."

He just smiled weakly.

"You seem like you have it under control- I mean, not to assume or-,"

"Yeah, he stays in there," he was so obviously uncomfortable. It hurt him.

I thought about changing the subject, but Phil did it for me.

"Wow," Phil said in disbelief, "I don't remember your hair being that curly," he said with a smile. I spun around.

And all of the insecurities return. "Yeah, I'm sure you don't."

"Was it Natasha?"

"Yeah, you were right." This was just getting progressively more embarrassing.

"At least you're not crying or anything. I thought you'd have a breakdown."

And all the insecurities are tripled.

"I'm fine."

"Good. See you two," he walked back out.

Bruce was staring. I could feel it. Now I felt like having a breakdown.

I sat on the table and picked at an open folder instead. Everything was coming back at me. All the names, all the times I got my hair pulled. I felt a tear roll down my cheek before I could feel anything else.

I wiped it away and thanked goodness that Bruce wasn't turned towards me anymore.

I don't cry in front of people. I cry when I'm in the shower, or some locked room, and it's never over something as trivial as hair.

The file was boring as hell. I read through it three times and it still wasn't another half an hour until lunch.

I walked over to the second slidey computer and read over the tesseract stats until I was bored of that, too. I sighed lightly.

"For the record," Bruce said suddenly, "I really like your hair curly." I turned around to see what could possibly be the sweetest expression I'd ever witnessed. "Mine is the same way, sometimes."

I didn't say anything. I didn't need to. That comment just made me entirely too happy.

Finally, I mustered up a few words, "Did you get teased for it?" I smiled.

"Ugh, all the time. I even shaved it off once."

I laughed, "Phil stopped me from doing that a few times."

"I just learned to live with it after a while, ya know? I got to the point where I just decided that there was nothing wrong with it."

Maybe there wasn't anything wrong with it. Maybe my hair was perfectly fine.

While I chewed on my food for thought, I realized that Bruce needed real food.

"I'll go get lunch," I mumbled.

_-x-_

"So, how'd you and Phil get so close?" Bruce asked suddenly. His salad was almost finished, but he stayed at the table.

The question sort of caught me off guard. "Well, I didn't exactly have great parents."

He mouthed an "O". "Sorry for asking."

"No, it's fine. They didn't beat me or anything, they just weren't around a lot," I slowly rekindled the conversation.

"So Phil stepped in?"

"More or less. He was better at parenting than they were, so I turned out alright, I guess," I smiled a little.

"Do you still talk to them?" he looked so concerned.

"I haven't seen my dad in forever and my mom since high school graduation. So, no," I didn't feel bad about it either. They didn't deserve any of me.

"Does she have curly hair?" he smiled through his last bite of food.

"Ha, no, no one else in the family. That was probably why my dad didn't treat me like much of anything. He thought that my mom had been sleeping around because no one in either family had curly hair."

"That's stupid."

"He was a stupid man," I grumbled.

"That's why you're insecure about it, isn't it?" he squinted a little bit and stood up.

"I don't know, maybe," the thought was a bit puzzling.

There were many things factoring into the fact that my parents didn't want me. Drugs were a big fat one.

My hair did sort of remind me that maybe I was some bastard child. Lord knows my mom isn't trustworthy. I don't know if she really cheated on her husband, but it wouldn't surprise me if she did. And my dad's eyes were brown, if I remembered correctly. Mom's were green, like mine. So the chances of my legitimacy were pretty slim.

I read over a few more files and went over a few more stats. I was trying not to think of what an emotional rollercoaster today had been. And I knew that if Loki came back, every other day would be comparable.

A look at my phone told me that it was already time for dinner. Here we go.

"I'm gonna go get dinner," I said with a stretch.

"Go for it."

I made my way down the hallway without touching my hair. Bruce's words did have an effect, I'd noticed. There wasn't anything wrong with having curly hair, and it was sad that it took me this long to figure it out.

A dinner and water were laid out in the counter, as they always were. A grumble from my stomach told me that I needed something as well. A peanut butter protein shake was calling my name.

_-x-_

"Mmmm, I forgot to tell you about Steve's pop culture dilemma," I laughed between sips.

"I bet he has a lot of those," Bruce smiled widely.

"Someone told him that he had 'swag', and he thought they were insulting him," I smiled.

"Aw, poor guy. He's so lost here,"

"Yeah, he tries though."

We're all lost here.

Natasha belongs in Russia, Tony belongs in his tower-fortress, Steve belongs in World War II, Bruce belongs in India. I didn't exactly have too much of a place to belong, but I figured it wouldn't be here.

"It's a place for amazing people," to quote Phil, the first time I asked him where he worked. And now, I was finding out the extent of amazing.

The sky outside darkened just a little. With my lack of sleep, I felt my eyelids get heavy. Then my face just sort of fell on the table.

_-x-_

Night 7

A gentle hand pushed on my shoulder. I moved my head and saw that it was Bruce. I sat up, and instantly noticed that I was in the lab. How long had I been sleeping?

"What time is it?" I yawned.

"It's about time for you to tell me to go to sleep," he smiled.

I looked down. There was a pillow where my head was.

"Where did the pillow come from?"

"I couldn't help it. You looked uncomfortable," he said with a sheepish smile.

Oh. My. God.

He didn't just get me a pillow and put it under my head while I was asleep. That's impossible.

"Thanks," I said, still knee-deep in disbelief. My cheeks were getting hot again.

"It's not a problem," he turned back to the computer to shut it down. "They got Loki while you were sleeping."

My cheeks went un-hot. "I guess that's a good thing," I mumbled.

"It's definitely better than him being on the streets," he mumbled back, "Am I leaving you in here?" he asked with his hand on the light switch and a little grin.

I grabbed the pillow and made my way out the door without blushing. New feat.

"Fury said that you have to bring him food," he mumbled once we were in the elevator.

"He already told you?"

"Nah, I asked."

I ignored the insane sweetness of that statement and pressed on. "How do I do it?"

"Loki stays on his bed; you put the tray on the floor."

"Couldn't he just kill me the second I stepped in?"

"They're stripping him of his magic, so he couldn't zap you, and if he tries to… hurt you physically, there are at least 20 guards in the room," he swallowed.

"That's a comfort," I felt a little round of tears coming on, but I blinked them away.

He saw them, like he sees everything. The elevator dinged.

"Hey, don't worry," he wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "I'll keep watch on the security cameras if you'd like." Arm on shoulder. Does not compute.

"Okay," was all I could get out without my voice cracking.

"Goodnight, Lily," he said softly. I handed him his pillow, which he took with a grin.

"Goodnight," I turned my key and stepped inside.

My head was a whirlwind of every emotion known to man. I was scared to freaking death of Loki. Bringing him meals three times a day chilled me to the bone. He could kill me so easily, regardless of security.

But at the same time, Bruce would be watching, so I'd be okay. He got me a pillow for crying out loud. And I knew that he'd go ape (or green, more appropriately) if I got hurt.

There was something in my mind that needed cleared up, before it tortured me any longer.

I had a crush on Bruce. And I didn't exactly mind my curly hair anymore.

Screw hormones.

_-x-_

Notes

Why must I torture Lily like this? So Bruce can make her feel better in the end, that's why. I'm sure you guys probably don't care all too much about Lily's back story, so I kept it minimal. But it's totally there for a reason, and it will be very important later on.

Can I get a headcount of everyone that said "Dawwww" when they read the bit with the pillow?

Love,

_-Maddie-_


	8. Loki

Teehee. A lot of people said dawww. I love you guys. Legit.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. Here's hoping Loki doesn't kill her.

_-x-_

Day 8

For the first time in what seemed like a while, I was woken up by my alarm clock. 8 am. I didn't exactly want to wake up. Loki was on base, and he was scary as hell.

I reluctantly showered. The laundry man must've come around yesterday, because my uniform was hanging up in the closet. *fist pump*

And then came the issue of hair. Natasha didn't sneak into my room to return my iron, but I did have the option of sneaking into hers and taking it back.

But Bruce liked it curly. And what he liked was occupying a lot of my mind. Would it be obvious to leave it curly for him? Would he catch on?

"I'm over thinking this shit," I whispered to myself. I brushed my hair out, but didn't steal my iron back. Natasha wanted to see it curly anyway, and well, Bruce liked it that way.

**5 breakfasts to the workroom, doll. I don't know what Thor drinks, and I'm afraid to ask.**

Thor? When did he get here? And is it dangerous to give him coffee? Probably.

**Be there in a mo, Phil.**

I made it down to the kitchen at a more normal pace this time. The insecurities weren't really there, and there was only one person to thank for that. I piled the breakfasts in one arm and carefully arranged the drinks in the other. I kicked the elevator button once I was done trying to do it with my nose.

Everyone was seated around the middle table and chatting it up. Phil saw me struggling with the sheer amount of food and helped me out with it.

Steve looked tired. Really, properly tired. He still managed to thank me, though, the poor dear.

Natasha looked equally sleepy, yet she was still excited over my hair and even gave me a complement. That's a feat.

Tony was wide awake, and suddenly, I put it all together. Tony slept on the ride back. There was no way that Natasha or Steve could sleep through that snoring.

Bruce was happy, as always. He even made a comment about my hair, which took every bit of my energy not to blush at.

And Thor, he was puzzled. So puzzled.

"WHO IS THIS LITTLE WOMAN?" he demanded.

"Yes, who is she?" Stark said playfully.

"I'm Lily. I get you food and coffee," I said very simply.

"Oh. Thank you. WHAT IS COFFEE?" he boomed.

"It's a drink, Thor," Natasha rolled her eyes.

"AND YOU ARE THE COFFEE WOMAN?" he boomed again. Poor guy. He was out of his element, and probably tired, even if it didn't show on his face.

"We're called baristas," I smiled. Barista is a big cool word. He loves using those.

"Miss Baristala, I need coffee," he said just a little bit quieter. I didn't even bother correcting him on 'Baristala'. He'd figure it out.

I just handed him his cup with a smirk.

Fury then motioned me over to where he was standing. Here it comes.

"Ms. Coulson, I'm sure you've already heard, but you're responsible for getting Loki his meals."

"Yes, I've heard," that came close to being snarky, but I saved it.

"His breakfast is in the kitchen," his face was ridiculously emotionless. "Be safe."

I swallowed, nodded and walked away. Phil patted my arm.

Bruce held up his phone and mouthed "I'm watching". I smiled. That should make it better. But it didn't. It would be better if he went with me.

Loki's breakfast was just like every other breakfast. It should have worms in it or something. He deserved them. Again the fire escape was my best friend in locating the 'holding cell'.

The door had two security guards with grim expressions. Inside, a nameless agent explained to me the protocol of Loki sitting on his bed, putting the tray on the floor, how to open the cell, what not to do, when to scream- all that good stuff.

Oh God. I was walking down the steps. I could see his back. He was tall. Dark hair.

I coughed gently. He whipped around. A smirk spread across his features. He was deathly pale. And green-eyed.

"Hello, my dear."

The hell if I was 'his dear'. That's a scary thought.

"Hello, Loki." I said very quietly. "Could you please sit on your bed so I can get you your food?" I said in a pleasant tone. There was no use in being a bitch to this guy. He'd be more pressed to kill me.

"As you wish," he said in a sultry voice. Sultry voice. I almost shuddered.

I flipped the open switch once he was sitting on his bed. The door was open, and now was the point where I walked in. Here we go.

My strides were confident. The tray was on the floor. I never took my eyes off of him. He never took his eyes off of me. I made it out of the door and closed it quickly.

I'M STILL ALIVE! SUCK ON THAT, BITCH!

I turned around and headed for the steps.

"Well, my goodness. You don't even talk to me. You just walk off without a word," Loki said. He was already standing with his arms behind his back.

"Oh, Loki. We'll be seeing each other three times a day. You'll be sick of me in no time," I said with quite a cheeky tone. I tried not to think about how much I sounded like Stark.

I smirked and turned for the steps. He chuckled. Evil chuckle. I really did shudder at that.

When I made it to the workroom, breakfast was finished and the team was getting briefed on the Loki situation, Tesseract Location, blah, blah, blah.

Phil instantly hugged me.

"You did good," he said quietly, before pulling back and acting like a secret agent again.

"It wasn't too hard," I smiled.

Bruce and Tony both held a thumbs up to me. I laughed a little. Lord knows Tony could hack the hell out of those security cameras.

Now there wasn't much of anything to do. I tried humming, kicking my feet, and at one point whistling. Fury glared at that one. And again boredom kicked in. I looked over at Phil, who was perfectly content. How does he do this? I need to be serving coffee. I need to.

Phil finally leaned over to me. "He's staring at you."

"Excuse me?" I said gently. I knew exactly what he meant. I didn't exactly want to admit it though.

"You know who," he winked.

Oh God. Phil knew. I swallowed. It wasn't even obvious, at least to me. I dreaded the day that Tony found out.

In the mean time, I looked everywhere but the middle table.

_-x-_

"WHERE IS THE TOILET?" Thor boomed at me.

I grabbed his wrist and lugged him down the hallway. 2 hours in to "showing him around", as Fury so lovingly put it, I was tired of him.

"Thor, do you think you need a nap?" I sighed.

"I CANNOT SLEEP IN THE TOILET," he stated, matter-of-factly.

"I know," this was getting to me really quickly, "You have a room with a bed."

"WHERE?"

I tightened my hold on his wrist and dragged him to the elevator.

"ELEVATORS ON ASGUARD ARE VERY DIFFERENT," he said suddenly. I jumped.

"I'm sure they are, Thor."

The elevator dinged.

We stepped out and headed for his door. 140B. Face meet palm. Thor's room was directly between mine and Bruce's. The one room between us had to be occupied by someone as loud as Thor.

I turned his key and held the door open.

"When you wake up, call me. Okay?"

"CALL?"

"God-no, just- look for a person. Ask them," I sighed in frustration.

"GOOD NIGHT, BARISTA," he said finally, after deliberation.

"Night, Thor," I nearly slammed his door.

Elevator up. I needed to go to the lab and regain my sanity.

"Hey, where did you leave the God of Thunder?" Tony said the very second I walked in.

"He's sleeping," I gave a little grin, "Is he always so… dumb?"

"Ha, no, he's just sleep deprived. Good move putting him to sleep," Tony said between blueberries.

"Speaking of good moves, you dealt with Loki perfectly," Bruce smiled. His glasses were falling down his nose. He had a perfect nose.

"He was… creepy," I scratched the back of my neck, "to say the least."

"Oh, man 'as you wish'," Tony started laughing like a maniac, "What the hell was that?"

"And he stood up so fast, I turned around and he was like, running at me!" I said with disgust.

"Maybe he's just into you," Tony laughed at the prospect of me and Loki. To be fair, it was laughable.

"Oh, Tony," I shot him a glare. "He's entirely too scary."

"Come on! Scary people can be amazing and wonderful. Just look at Bruce," he pointed his finger across the room. I felt something in my stomach turn. I really just walked into that.

"Thanks, Tony," Bruce said quietly.

I just glared. Tony put his hands up in defense. And we stayed like this for at least five minutes, until I decided that Steve and Natasha were better company.

Only when I wanted someone to talk to was everyone busy. Steve and Natasha both were running laps, Phil was out on an undisclosed mission, Tony was being an ass, and of course, Bruce was upset. And I hated myself for making him upset, even if it was Tony's direct fault.

And I refused to stoop so low as to talk to Loki. Unless he needed his lunch, and of course, he did.

"Oh, it's you," Loki said when I walked in. "You're a touch early. Is everything alright?" he voiced fake concern. It was disgusting.

"Quite alright. Sit on your bed, please."

He held his hands up. It looked too familiar to the scene I walked out of in the lab an hour ago. "Something is definitely wrong." He stared at me, almost like a detective looks at a suspect.

I opened the door and set the tray on the ground. His eyes, again didn't leave me.

I'd made it out of Loki's cell alive for the second time, which was ridiculously impressive. As I turned away, I heard Loki mumble.

"I'll find out by dinnertime."

Loki didn't deserve an acknowledgement, so I didn't give him one. I kept on to the kitchen so that I could serve my normal customers.

Steve and Natasha were still running laps, even if they looked quite a bit more tired than they had earlier.

Their lunches were set on the rest bench, as always. I could really use a chat with one of them. Oh well.

I was making my way to the quarters of Thor, when I caught sight of him being harassed by an agent. She had the classic bimbo appearance, and looked quite angry when I pulled Thor away.

"Hello, Barista," he said in an inside voice. YES. HE WAS ACTUALLY SANE.

"Hello, Thor, are you hungry yet?" I asked.

"I'm always hungry. Humans don't eat enough."

"I think I agree with that statement, actually," I pondered it a little bit. Maybe we didn't eat enough. Lord knows what food is like on Asguard, though.

"This is yours," I said, handing him his lunch. Two boxes remained. They needed delivered, too. "And were headed to the lab next."

He stayed put.

"Well, come on."

"Now?" he asked dumbly.

"Yeah, now," I waved him on.

I refused to make eye contact with Tony, and Bruce's eyes were glued to the computer screen. I'd screwed up big time. The lunches were left on the table, and Thor and I walked back out.

"So what do we do now?" he asked, once in the elevator.

"Well, we kind of just hang out in the kitchen until dinnertime."

"Interesting."

_-x-_

"Thor, could you please stop zapping the toasters, I'm trying to sleep," I called from the storage room.

"THEY DON"T TOAST FAST ENOUGH!" was his angry reply.

I walked out into the kitchen to find a disassembled toaster on the floor. I think it was disassembled by Thor's foot.

"Thor, could you take Bruce and Tony's dinners to the lab?" I asked kindly. I didn't want to do it. It was cowardly, but I just didn't know how upset Bruce was. I'm sure he does feel scary sometimes, considering that his other half took down Harlem. He didn't deserve to be insecure though, for all of his ridiculously good traits.

"Yes, ma'am," he said in his strange accent.

"Don't get lost."

Natasha and Steve were back to the dummy- shooting range deal, so I reluctantly put their dinners on the bench. I'd love to talk to one of them so much. It's hard to talk to superheroes though, I've decided.

And came the least favorite customer of the day.

"I haven't figured your problem out, yet. I'm sorry to disappoint," Loki said once I was fully in the room.

"Do you have any guesses?" I asked quietly. I opened his door, considering that he was already on his bed.

"No, they're all very general and unlikely. It has given me something to think about other than destruction, though," he said thoughtfully.

I placed the tray on the floor and walked back out for the third time that day.

"Well, Lily, I hope that you can clear up whatever your problem is," he said genuinely.

"Thank you, I guess," I turned to the door. Even Loki knew I should do something about it, and he didn't even know the situation.

I made it back down to the kitchen, where Thor was eating more. I joined him and took down a homemade broccoli salad. I'd developed a taste for the stuff over the past week.

"You're too mobile," Thor said as I walked in.

"Mobile?" I asked.

"Yes, you move around everywhere. It's tiring."

I had to agree. It was a fast paced job, even if it had it's boring bits.

"Is there something wrong with Dr. Banner?" Thor asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Does something seem wrong?"

"He's not as happy as he was this morning, definitely. I thought he was sobbing for a minute there."

That's it. I stood up and put my plate in the sink.

"Goodnight, Thor," I said at the door.

"Goodnight to you, Mobile Barista."

I smiled at my new nickname, as it fit perfectly. I headed for the lab with decisive steps.

This needed cleared up. Now.

_-x-_

Night 8

"Hey, Tony?"

"Yaaaappp?"

"Where'd Bruce go?" I said directly. I'd normally be concerned about Tony's assumptions, but right now, there were more important things to be concerned about.

"He went to sleep like, an hour ago," he said, not even turning towards me.

"Okay, night then, Tony," I shut the door and headed downstairs.

I didn't know what I was going to say, but I had to say something. He was entirely too good of a person to feel bad about himself. End of story.

I hesitated at the door. What if he's asleep? It would be wrong to wake him up.

Just screw it.

"Bruce?" I asked gently.

A reply came a few moments later. "Yeah?"

I poke my head through his door. He was in burrito format. The poor thing.

"Bruce, you're not… you're not scary," I said truthfully.

He looked at me blankly. Damn.

"You're really, really sweet, actually. I mean, the pillow? It's just… no one's ever been that nice to me. Not even Phil."

I saw something that could maybe be called a weak smile on his lips.

"So yeah. Night, and thanks for that," I said awkwardly. I closed the door gently and began walking to my own room. That could've gone worse. Not really, though.

I pulled out the universal key and put it in the lock, when I heard a door open. And there he was. His eyes were full and maybe a couple tears were spilling down his cheek.

He walked over to me slowly and hesitated for just a second. I didn't know what was going through his head, but it was probably similar to the thoughts in mine.

He laid his head on top of mine and hugged me. He was warm, and smelled good, too. It made me blush. I was glad he couldn't see my face right now.

After a while, the little bits of crying stopped, but we stayed hugged. I didn't feel like breaking away anytime soon.

"I don't really feel like letting go, but my arms are hurting," he said finally.

"Mine, too," I laughed. And we dropped arms back to our sides.

His hand fell on a curl of hair that he played with for a moment. "You deserve someone to be nice to you," he smiled.

"You're good at it," I smiled back.

"Goodnight, Lily."

"Goodnight, Bruce."

He walked to his own door as I turned the key to mine.

He caught my gaze again and smiled before disappearing into his room.

I smiled to myself and hoped that Thor wasn't listening in. But in the end, I didn't care too much. My mood couldn't be dampened right now.

Crawling into bed, I wondered if Bruce was asleep yet. There wasn't much way of telling, considering that he didn't have the snore of a giant polar bear.

And speak of the Devil, I heard Stark above me.

_-x-_

Notes

DAWWW. THEY HUGGED.

And so you get the title drop. When I was thinking about the intern-plot, I really wanted to know what Thor would call her. Man of Iron makes me laugh every time I read it. So I thought "Barista" is a Thor-ish word, and she moves around a lot.

Hope you liked it! It was long, and I do believe that he's chapters will be getting longer. Good thing or bad thing, that's your opinion:)

Love,

_-Maddie-_


	9. The Pantry Incident

Well, you are a ridiculously sweet group of readers.

And 200 reviews! Hell yes!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. I think she might beat up Tony. Oh Boy.

_-x-_

Day 9

I woke up that morning still feeling warm and fuzzy and perfect. I silenced my alarm and headed straight for the shower. I sang just a little bit, but it was all quiet and inaudible to the room above. I hoped.

My hair made me ridiculously happy now. Everytime I looked at it I smiled, which is corny, I'm aware.

The flat iron was returned with a little sticky note and lovely handwriting.

I gave it back, but that doesn't mean you should use it.

-Natasha

I grinned. I didn't want it back anymore, as I'd embraced my curls. Cue the blushing.

**One coffee to the lab, two to the basement. I think Bruce and Thor are still asleep.**

I smiled. Maybe he forgot to set his alarm.

**Kay, I'm on it.**

As for Thor, there were plenty of women on base willing to help him get to the kitchen.

_-x-_

In the basement, Steve and Natasha were warming up. He had a jump rope, which made him look like a little girl, and she had the most flexible body I'd ever seen. She was too much like a cat.

"Breakfast is served," I smiled, announcing my presence. They took their breakfast and coffee gladly.

"So did we miss anything amazing during our running yesterday?" Steve asked between mouthfuls of pancake.

"Thor stepped on a toaster, but other than that, things stayed quiet."

"Where is the big guy?" Natasha smiled.

"I'm just letting him sleep."

"Hah, we know what he's like without sleep," Steve smiled.

"Loud," I smiled and headed back upstairs.

Tony was still the only person in the lab. I told myself not to get disappointed, but I totally was. Tony was an ass. Even if his ass-ness indirectly made Bruce hug me, I was insanely mad at him.

"Good morning, Tony," I glared.

"Any reason that you're scowling at me?" he smirked.

"No reason at all," I snapped.

"Must be that time of month then," he chuckled.

It took every fiber of my being not to smack him right then and there.

Bruce walked in very suddenly. "Good morning," he chirped. Someone was happy, and I tried not to think why.

Tony seemed a bit surprised by his good mood, and I silently prayed that he wouldn't bring it up. I didn't need the awkward.

"You slept in late," Tony noted.

"Yeah, I slept through my alarm."

"How?" I asked in disbelief. SHIELD alarm clocks were ridiculously obnoxious.

"I was having a good dream."

Blush. Blush Harder. Turn around to conceal my blushing. I wouldn't admit it, but I had a good dream too.

"Oh, I left my phone downstairs," Bruce said after searching his pockets and walking out the door.

"Lily?" Tony turned to me quickly.

"Yes?"

"Why is Bruce feeling better today?" his voice hinted suspicion. Oh no.

"I don't know, he did sleep late," I said harshly.

"He was very, very upset yesterday," he started to smile. "And I never apologized."

"Obviously." I fought to make my voice as believable as possible.

"And it doesn't have anything to do with you." It wasn't working.

"I don't think so, Tony," I trailed off. He knew. He was a genius, of course he would've found out.

"Interesting," he smiled. And now I dreaded the day that I found unused condoms in every one of my pockets. I wouldn't put that past him.

Bruce walked back in, but Tony kept his gaze on me. This unofficial staring contest was getting ridiculous.

He finally smirked and turned away. Now I feared for my life. And while we're on the subject of fear, I still had to drop off Loki's breakfast.

_-x-_

"Good morning, Loki," I said with a smile.

"So your problem has been resolved," he smirked.

"It has actually," I opened his door and placed his tray on the floor.

"That's interesting. It couldn't have had anything to do with Ms. Romanoff, or Mr. Rogers then."

"You're still guessing?" I closed the door.

"Just eliminating the possibilities. They mentioned running during our plane ride. It's quite simple," he dismissed it.

"Maybe, maybe not," I smirked. This little bit of control I had over Loki was becoming quite fun, even if it could be flipped around in an instant.

"It could be your uncle, though he just got back from his mission," he still pondered.

"And you know that from…?"

"I'm just observant. And I have very good hearing."

He must. I turned for the door.

"I heard crying in the general direction of the rooms, though. Is that significant?"

I swallowed. This was amazing hearing we were talking about. I just hoped Tony wasn't watching the security tapes right now.

"If you heard someone crying, couldn't you just use your super hearing to tell who it was?"

"Well, it's a bit selective. And fine tuned to tears," he sighed. Not as perfect as he thought.

"Keep guessing, Loki," I smiled.

Loki wasn't particularly mean to me, and he did seem to be capable of emotion. Which made him all the more frightening.

I decided that it was time to wake up Thor. He didn't need to oversleep like Bruce did.

"Thor?" I said while knocking on his door.

A loud and deep grunt/growl/moan could be heard from inside. "I am sleeping."

"Thor, you're talking to me, so you aren't sleeping. And you're two hours late. Now get up."

"Two hours?" he said in a near whisper. A bit of crashing could be heard inside, which I assumed was him walking into the dresser. I waited patiently, and five minutes later, he emerged from the room. His hair was a mess.

"Okay then. It's breakfast time."

Thor grinned and almost ran to the elevator. He was hungry. That's always scary.

_-x-_

"THOR!" I yelled, "Leave the microwave alone!"

"I COULD MAKE IT SO MUCH MORE ADVANCED!"

I laid my head on the table. Thor was an overgrown child on steroids.

I still had an hour until lunch, so I decided to eat mine early. Broccoli salad and a turkey sandwich. Deliciously healthy.

"Thor? What are you doing to the fridge?"

And I saw lightning. I didn't ask again.

I collected the lunches and made my rounds. Thor had to come with me because I refused to leave him alone with so many kitchen appliances.

"Hey, Lily, Thor," Bruce said as we walked in. I handed over the lunches.

"Hey, Bruce," I smiled, intentionally leaving Tony out.

Tony didn't say anything, but the look on his face was worth more than a thousand words. The look on mine was worth a kick in the nuts.

Steve and Natasha were boxing when we made it to the basement. I didn't think I'd ever see Steve hit a girl, and I was right. He refused. Natasha was kicking his ass.

"I WISH TO PARTICIPATE!" Thor yelled after a few minutes of watching.

"You heard him," I smiled. Steve needed a rest anyway, and Natasha was capable of taking on the God.

Steve stepped out of the ring with a little bruise forming on his cheek. Natasha was proud of her victory, if a little disappointed that he wouldn't fight back.

"WAIT! I REFUSE TO FIGHT THE FEMALE," Thor said with a puzzled expression.

"Are you afraid?" Natasha challenged.

"IT IS AGAINST MY GODLY MORALS."

I took this as my cue to leave. Thor would be safe from appliances down here, even if he wasn't safe from Natasha's fists.

_-x-_

"Have you figured it out yet, Loki?" I asked the God of Lies, who was lying down on his bed.

"Nearly."

I opened his door and set the tray on the floor. I didn't feel too afraid anymore, even if he was a scary guy. He didn't seem to want to kill me, at least while he was guessing about my problems.

"You seem to be quite cross with Mr. Stark," he smirked. Cross was a bit of an outdated word.

"Was that from observation or super hearing?" I smiled.

"A bit of both actually. But you're not as upset, even if you're on bad terms with him."

"That's a bit impressive actually."

"So I'm right?"

"Ha. No. But you're getting warmer." I left on that note and headed to the basement. Hopefully Natasha spared Thor's soul. And his morals.

When I arrived at the basement, Thor was nursing a bleeding arm. By nursing, he was hugging it to his face and refusing to put a band-aid on the wound.

"How'd it happen?" I asked, after finally getting a look at his arm.

"SHE BIT ME."

"It was an accident. Honestly," Natasha defended herself.

"Steve? Are you the referee here?"

"Hey, don't put me in the middle. And you need to wash that. She might have rabies."

Natasha hit Steve's arm, which elicited a little "oww" from him.

"Come on, Thor. You can clean up in the kitchen," I sighed. Babysitting and bandaging were not included on the duty list for intern.

Thor made something like a hissing noise at Natasha before walking to the elevator. What a baby.

_-x-_

"DAUGHTER OF COUL, YOU ARE HURTING MY ARM," Thor bellowed. Apparently, Son of Coul was improper to call a lady, so he made a small adjustment for me.

"It's just soap."

"IT IS PAINFUL."

"Or you're just weak," I mumbled.

"PARDON ME?"

I chuckled. And it worked. The mighty Thor complained no more.

Until I pulled out the gauze.

"IT IS PREVENTING BLOOD FLOW."

"Thor, what happened to that lovely inside voice you were using yesterday?"

He looked confused.

"Never mind," I shook my head. "Just go to the lab and hang out with Tony and Bruce."

"HANG?"

_-x-_

"So, undisclosed mission?" I smirked at Phil, who was lying down in his office. I leaned on his doorframe and crossed my arms.

"Pshhh. They sent me to the grocery store."

I smiled a little. That sounded like a good mission for Phil.

"So, am I allowed to ask what the crying was last night that Loki mentioned?"

I swallowed. The honesty ingrained in my mind wanted to slip it out. Another part of my mind knew that he would never stop torturing me for it.

"That was me actually," I smiled weakly.

"Aww, what was wrong?" he sat up.

"Well, y'know, Loki was there, I was nervous, Thor was stressing me out, you weren't there to talk to. It just all piled up."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I didn't know you were upset."

"I'm okay now. Things are resolving," I grinned.

Phil nodded. And didn't suspect anything.

Between that conversation about being stared at yesterday and the little moment in the lab, Phil was easily catching onto my feelings for Bruce, whatever they may be. He didn't need to know that we hugged for a full 20 minutes last night and that I enjoyed every bit of it.

_-x-_

Walking down the hallway to Loki's room, I found an infuriated Fury (interesting pun) walking out of said room. He huffed when passing me, and I could only imagine that he wasn't happy with the prisoner.

And I was right, as Loki was sulking.

"Doing alright in there?" I asked playfully while opening his cell.

"A God does not thrive when surrounded by humans," he spat.

I closed his cell door, but decided that this was an interesting thought to play with.

"So what is the difference?" I smiled.

"What?" he scowled.

"It's just that you look human. We're both pale and green-eyed. And maybe you act a little differently, but it's never 'unhuman'."

He only laughed. The corners of his lips started to rise as he walked towards me.

"You think you're the superior."

"Oh, Loki. I'd never," I cocked my head to the side and smiled.

"And you'd be clever to never think so."

With that, I grinned and started to walk away.

"Pity."

I turned around. He never did let me walk away when I wanted to. "Pardon?"

"What makes you and me different. You are capable of pity."

"And you're not?"

He only smiled. I silently thought of ways I could evoke pity from the God of Lies.

_-x-_

"Hey, Lily! Is Thor okay?" Natasha asked from a distance.

"He's whining, but I think he's fine," I called back.

Steve came up and took his dinner and water. His cheek was swollen, but he was still looking deathly handsome. Everyone here did. They were an attractive group.

"How's your cheek?"

"It hurts," he pouted just a little, "But at least it isn't a bite."

I nodded in agreement and decided that it was time to check on the big baby.

_-x-_

With three dinners in arm, I walked into an odd scene.

Tony was poking Thor with Loki's scepter. Thor was giggling and saying "stop it". Bruce was looking horrified.

I coughed. Tony turned to me and pretend zapped me with it.

"Really?" I near whispered.

Thor took his dinner quickly and went to work on it. Tony sat next to him and chowed down equally as fast.

Bruce was more civilized, as always. "I think Tony may have found someone on the same level of maturity," he whispered in my ear. It tickled.

I grinned. "Match made in heaven. Or Asguard."

_-x-_

"THOR!" I yelled. "JUST GO TO BED."

"I AM ALMOST DONE REWIRING THE PANTRY."

"THE PANTRY DOESN'T HAVE WIRES."

A moment passed.

"RIGHT."

_-x-_

"Hey, its bed time," I tapped on the lab's doorframe and was glad to find that Tony had gone to bed.

"I know," Bruce yawned and headed for the lights, "How is Thor's arm?"

"It's healing ridiculously fast, actually."

"You dressed it well," he smiled. It really was quite a complement coming from him.

"At least he didn't zap any lab equipment."

Bruce smiled. "He's not really that bad when he's slept recently."

"Nobody's bad when they've slept recently," I smiled. The elevator dinged. It was an adorable noise, I noted.

"Am I allowed to hug you again?" Bruce asked at his door.

I melted. I freaking melted. "You don't have to ask," I managed.

He smiled and wrapped his arms around me. It didn't last as long, and I was disappointed, but it still felt amazing.

"Good night, Lily," he smiled.

"Good night, Bruce," I smiled back, "And don't oversleep."

"GOODNIGHT."

"GO TO BED, THOR."

_-x-_

Notes

So, this chapter was more of a scene by scene dealio. Tell me if you're into that kind of thing, or if you prefer the transitioning dealio. If you have the time:)

The story is in a bit of a lull, with not much of anything crazy happening (except for Thor), but I promise that it will get a bit insane eventually. You'll appreciate all o' this character development later;).

Am I allowed to hug you again?

No, it's against my godly morals.

Love,

_-Maddie-_


	10. Vodka

So, I have decided that I'll do a chapter that centers a main character (resolves an issue, deepens their motives, etc.) during this lull so I can build things up well. Steve is first. Can I get a woot woot from the senior section?

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily.

_-x-_

Day 10

Wake up. Shower. Brush hair. This was getting repetitive and it was killing me. I needed a change of scenery badly. If I did make it through internship, I didn't know how much I'd enjoy the actual job at SHIELD. I wouldn't have to babysit Thor, or be subjected to Loki's mind games by then, but the whole atmosphere of the place was hostile.

**I think you know the drill by now.**

**I think you're right, Phil.**

_-x-_

Tony and Bruce were discussing clean energy when I walked in, which seemed to be a part of their daily routine.

"Ahem," I coughed with a little smile.

Tony jumped up and grabbed both breakfasts and drinks. He then kissed both of my cheeks with an exaggerated 'muah' sound.

"The hell?" I mumbled.

"That's how I say thank you now."

I raised an eyebrow. Where was he hiding the alcohol?

"What? Bruce, can you hand me that file?" he said quickly while pointing to the folder next to Bruce. Maybe he was hiding acid.

Bruce handed him said file apprehensively. Tony jumped across the table and kissed him on the cheek.

He was mortified. The poor thing.

"Tony, are you okay?" I asked finally.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Totally fine," he replied. His feet were tapping at 300 beats per minute. I instantly regretted giving him coffee.

"Tony, you just kissed me," Bruce said, while wiping his cheek.

"Am I not allowed to kiss my friends?"

I hesitated. "Are you drunk?"

"I've never drank in my life," he scoffed.

At that, I bursted out laughing.

_-x-_

"Feeling better this morning?" I asked Loki, who was reading a book while sitting cross-legged on his bed.

"Not really," he replied without looking up.

I opened his door and set down his tray. He didn't look up.

"Good book?" I asked, still inside the cell. From here I could see the word "Sherlo", so I could assume what he was reading.

"It's written by a human, so it can only be but so good," he finally looked up at me.

"Human books are good."

"Lily, my dear, you've never read a book written by a God."

"Good point," I shrugged.

"And why haven't you ran out of the cell yet?"

"If that's my cue to leave before you hurt me…,"

"Yes. That's your cue to leave before I hurt you," he grinned.

_-x-_

Natasha was working hard on the shooting range, as always. I wondered how good she is by now, considering how hard she works at it.

Steve wasn't doing quite as good. He looked completely listless, which made me wonder when he slept last. I handed him his breakfast, which he smiled weakly at. Something was wrong with the dude.

"You okay, Steve?" I asked finally.

He hesitated. "Yeah, I'm okay." He didn't put much energy into the lie, so it was ridiculously see-through.

"Okay, if you need someone to talk to, I'm always around," I patted him on the back.

He nodded a little bit and moved to sit down on the bench.

In my head, I went over the long list of things that could be wrong with him, in case he decided not to talk.

In the meantime, Thor needed to be awoken from his "deep slumber".

"Thor?" I tapped on the door to room 140B gently, hoping that the intellectual version of Thor was with us.

"Yes?"

"It's time to get up."

The door opened a few seconds later. Out came Thor, who was calm. YES. HE'S CALM.

"Is it time for breakfast?" he asked in a normal inside voice. It took a lot of effort not to fist pump.

"Yes, it is time for breakfast, Thor. I'm glad you're using your inside voice today."

"WHAT?" he yelled with a smile.

And from there I knew that Thor was capable of being intentionally funny. I was well aware that he could be unconsciously hilarious.

9 pancakes later, I was starting to worry.

"Thor, do you think that 9 is enough?" I looked up from my own plate where said God was spraying the skillet (just like I taught him).

"Not really."

I sighed. "Okay. Make me one, too."

The kitchen door opened to reveal a soldier. Oh boy.

"HALT!"

The soldier jumped. Thor giggled. "I am sorry, I just wanted to try that."

"Ms. Coulson, the Director wishes to see you."

"Okey-dokey. Don't eat my pancake Thor," I hit the chef on the arm.

_-x-_

"Ms. Coulson," Fury nodded at me once I'd made it into the workroom.

I nodded back, "Director." How formal this was.

"I've been watching the security tapes," he paused for effect, "And I'm surprised by how well you're handling Loki."

OH YEAH. I JUST GOT COMPLEMENTED BY THE DIRECTOR. GET ON MY LEVEL. "Thank you."

"However, I don't want you EVER staying in his cell longer than you need to. Even if he's nice to you, he's a murderer."

"I understand." And I did, honestly. I'd gotten too comfortable with Loki. Going into his room wasn't even scary anymore.

"And I wouldn't recommend talking to him about personal subjects. He could use them against you easily, but it's your choice."

I nodded and took his words into consideration. Maybe I shouldn't let Loki in on my personal life, but it doesn't seem like I've been letting him in on anything. He's the one that's interested.

"You're dismissed."

_-x-_

"Do the kissing noises I heard this morning have anything to do with your problem?" Loki cocked his head to the side.

"Well, I haven't been kissing anyone, if that's what you're asking." I wish I had been kissing someone, my mind added.

"Not exactly what I was asking, but that will do." I opened the cell and set down the tray.

"You think you're close, don't you?" I asked while closing the door.

"I believe so," he smirked in that devilish-rogue way that was insanely scary.

Uh-Oh.

_-x-_

"It's lunch ti-," I stopped. "Why is Thor on the computer?" How could Bruce ever let Thor anywhere near anything expensive and electronic?

"Oh, it's fine, he's just on paint," Bruce said with a smile.

I sighed in relief. Tony was standing next to him and helping choose colors. I handed the two their lunches, which they were grateful for.

"Bruce, do you think something is wrong with Tony?" I whispered. Bruce's eyes moved over to Tony who was watching intently.

"Yes. I definitely like green tea better than white tea," he said loudly. Once Tony turned back around, he winked.

It was the cutest wink I'd ever seen, and it affirmed the fact that Tony was going crazy.

I nodded and set off to the basement.

_-x-_

Steve hadn't moved since breakfast, which was the first sign that he was getting worse.

"Steve?" I asked quietly.

He jumped. "Yeah?"

"Sorry," I smiled. "Are you still okay?" I sat down next to him and handed over the lunch.

"Ha. Yeah. I'm very okay," he replied sarcastically.

I sighed. He needed to talk about it, but I didn't want to force him into it. If comfort was an art, I'd consider myself an artist.

"I'm bet it's hard being you. You probably feel really old." Well that was blunt.

"Yeah, I do," he replied.

"At least you have swag," I nudged him.

He smiled just barely, but I'd consider it a victory. "I feel really alone."

I frowned. "You have all of us."

"Yeah, I know I do, but there are so many people I left behind."

"I'm not any of them," I said before pausing to collect my thoughts, "but if a guy died and came back to life 70 years later, I wouldn't want him to miss me," I smiled weakly, and it was the absolute truth.

He smiled. "I don't think normal people consider things like that."

"I'm sorry your life has to be so shitty, Steve," I laughed through gritted teeth.

He laughed with me. "Is there vodka in the kitchen?"

_-x-_

"Phil, do we have alcohol anywhere?" I asked my dear uncle, who was once again laying down in his office.

"That depends on why you're asking," he squinted.

"C'mon, it's not for me. Steve wants some."

"There's a stash in the back of the pantry, he'll find it if he looks hard enough."

"And as long as Thor hasn't rewired it," I mumbled.

"What was that?"

"It's an insider," I smiled and went on to dinner delivery, even if I was a bit early.

_-x-_

"Mr. Stark must've upset someone that you care about."

"Why do you care so much, Loki?" I asked in disbelief while walking in and placing his tray down. It was alarming that he had guessed it, I will admit.

"I find the human mind interesting," he mused.

"We're not smart enough to write a good book," I smiled and closed his door.

"I never said I didn't like the book," he grinned. His grins could easily make someone poop their pants. "I just think that the books on Asguard are better."

"You're getting close to the truth, though, it's pretty impressive."

"Has he insulted your uncle?" Now we were on to 20 Questions.

I rolled my eyes. "Phil is a bad-ass, Loki. He can defend himself from someone like Stark."

A moment passed and the atmosphere of the room changed completely. He must've figured it out.

"It's the beast that you care for, isn't it?" Loki asked, now with his arms crossed.

He's not a beast. Not at all.

"I'm right," Loki was so proud of himself.

"I didn't say that."

"Your body did."

"Hmm?"

"You blushed. It's the disadvantage of being pale."

Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it. I walked out of the room defeated.

I hoped to God that Stark hadn't been watching that exchange. My phone vibrated.

**You can bet your ass I'm bad:)**

**Shut up Phil:)**

_-x-_

"Did you find the vodka?" I asked Steve who was eating dinner with Thor in the kitchen.

He smiled and held up a big bottle. "I didn't think S.H.E.I.L.D. actually had alcohol."

"How many pancakes have you had Thor?"

He looked sick. Poor guy. "I lost count a few hours ago."

"Pass the bottle," I asked Steve and took a swig. Disgusting. I handed it over to Thor. He was huge, so his tolerance was probably amazing.

"That is not very tasteful," Thor said after three long swigs.

"It grows on you," Steve said while leaning his head back.

"Like fungus," I added after another swig.

"Where's my room service?" Natasha smirked from the doorway.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot your dinner," I kicked myself mentally.

"It's fin… Is that vodka?"

Naturally, the Russian goes ham for vodka.

Steve held the bottle out to her, and she took it gladly.

And it went on repeat for a few hours. Depressing conversations, drinks, Thor's silly comments. Then the bottle was empty. It was a very big bottle, too.

_-x-_

Night 10

"You know the drill, Bruce," I said without slurring. It was hard.

He smiled and turned out the lights.

We walked to the lift (or shuffled in my case) in a comfortable silence.

Once inside, the pull of the elevator made me dizzy. I felt myself leaning, until Bruce caught me of course.

"You been drinking?" he quirked an eyebrow and smiled.

"No, I'm just tired," I yawned and leaned onto him.

"That's what they all say," he smirked.

I looked up at him, "Who says that?"

"All of the short drunken baristas."

I hit his arm. "5' 3''."

"You're drunk, so that measurement's unreliable. And you're still tiny," he teased.

We walked down the hallway and soon found out that I was incapable of unlocking my door. Bruce didn't seem to mind, like he didn't mind helping me take off my shoes, or putting toothpaste on the brush.

He even pulled down the sheets and helped me in. What a sweetheart/gentleman/perfect person.

"Need anything else?" he asked finally.

"Read me a story," we both laughed.

He bent down and kissed my forehead. Even in my half-intoxicated state, it was enough to make my heart stop.

"Goodnight, Lily," he whispered against my head. It tickled so perfectly.

He was gone before I could reply, and I was glad for that, because Lord knows what I would've said.

Granted a reply of "I love you", or "I want to have your babies", would be partially true, all of it could wait until I was sober.

_-x-_

Notes

LOKI KNOWS. OH LORD. Poor Lily, she's a little drunk. And Steve is lonely. Tony is going insane, also. This is one hell of an exciting lull.

A little cousin of mine was over for my brother's graduation this weekend, and she entertained herself by playing with paint on the computer. I couldn't help but think that Thor would do that in the lab.

As always, I love reviews. Who doesn't? Next chapter will be Natasha's. Das my hoe right der.

Love,

_-Maddie-_


	11. Hangovers

300 reviews? What? I love you guys. So very, very much. And I'm updating like a wild Banshee. Why, you may ask? All will be revealed.

Last chapter, we witnessed some drunken bonding. This chapter, we get to witness something I like even more. Hangover bonding.

This is Natasha centric, so I hope you guys are fans of her.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. The poor dear is hungover:(

_-x-_

Day 11

My head. My freaking head. The first thing I did that morning involved the toilet and my mouth. Enough said.

**Am I allowed to call in sick?**

**No.**

Damn it. An even better idea popped into my head.

**To: Tony, Bruce, Natasha**

**Not feeling up for room service today. Come get meals from the kitchen when you want them. And could someone tell Steve?**

Thor would find out eventually, but I didn't trust Steve with texting. He wasn't the best with phones, or so I'd heard. I didn't want to give him a headache.

But still, I was the only person on base that would be able to get Loki his food. And he knew that. You better believe that he knew that.

_-x-_

"Good morning, Lily," sang Loki, who looked happy. That's a scary though, Loki being happy.

"Yeah," I replied. I didn't put any energy into being nice to him.

"Hangover?"

I glared while opening his cell door.

"Is that why the Beast put you to sleep last night? You were drunk?" he smirked that horrible awful smirk that I wanted to tear off his face.

I held in my anger and smiled. "I don't think I'll ask how you figured that out."

"No figuring involved. I used the super hearing."

I raised my eyebrows and nodded. "Aren't you some hot shit?"

He laughed and laughed. I walked out of the room once I could take no more of his ridiculous cackling.

_-x-_

When I arrived at the kitchen, Steve, Tony, and Bruce were cooking something that smelled like bacon and eggs while Natasha had her head planted into the table. Without a word, I sat down next to her and did the same.

I put it together that Thor wouldn't be hungover and neither would Steve. Damn that giant. Damn that Super-Soldier. It was just me and Natasha left to fend for ourselves.

When Tony finally noticed me, he laughed and pulled my hair. "Wake up, hoe! I made toast!"

I sat up and glared. "Why doesn't she get her hair pulled?" I nodded at Natasha.

"She could hurt me very badly very easily, and apart from spilling boiling coffee on me, you're harmless," he bent over the table and kissed my cheek, which I wiped for a full two minutes.

"Bruce, he's still kissing," I called over to my favorite physicist, who was making eggs.

"Yeah, I found that out last night."

Tony bursted out laughing, "That sounded better in your head."

Bruce rolled his eyes while everyone else chuckled. Except for Steve, who didn't get the joke.

"Who's waking up Thor?" Steve asked, after bringing bacon to the table. The smell made Natasha pull her head up from the table. Much like me, she looked sick.

"I say we wait until everyone else is full," Tony said while showing off his toast that was dark brown around the edges. He was still proud of them.

"That's mean," Bruce whispered. He had a plate full of eggs that looked amazing, even in my state of puking.

"I actually want to eat my toast," Tony said. He sat across from me and went to work on the piece that had the least burned bits, because he's selfish like that.

Steve took the seat next to Natasha and Bruce sat next to me. That made me happy. Much happier than it should have. There was an empty seat between Bruce and Tony, which made the latter a little bit peeved.

"I see how it is, Bruce. Her over me," Tony snapped. He was full of sarcasm. "I thought what we had was special."

"You aren't good enough at kissing," he grinned while chewing. It was painfully adorable.

I stared at the food, but I couldn't bring myself to eat any. I glanced over at Natasha, who was doing the exact same thing.

"So is this what hangovers look like?" Steve asked with a piece of toast in his hand.

I nodded very slowly. Natasha didn't look capable of even that.

"Well, I'm glad I can't get drunk then."

Bruce looked concerned. "If you two want like chicken noodle soup or something I can make it."

I would've melted if I had more energy. I smiled instead. "Yeah that sounds good."

Natasha nodded.

I scowled and laid my head down on the table.

"I would like to mention that I'm extremely upset I didn't get invited to the vodka party," Tony said. Even though I couldn't see him, I knew his arms were crossed and he was frowning.

"If you would've you'd be looking like us, so shut your mouth," her voice was an octave deeper, probably from sleep deprivation.

"And we would've had less to go around," Steve said.

"How did you of all people start a drinking party?" Tony mumbled. It took these moments to make me realize how completely opposite Tony and Steve were.

And it puzzled me that opposites weren't attracting like they should.

Something that sounded like boiling liquid made me perk up my ears. Soup really did sound good, even if I was bound to throw it up. It's all in the journey, not in the destination.

Bruce passed Natasha and me bowls with spoons and hot soup, which we both thanked him for.

I tuned out Tony's grumbling about helping at SHIELD and how much he hated looking for the Tesseract.

I couldn't get the noodles onto the spoon. They kept sliding off. Natasha had resorted to cutting them into tiny pieces with the side of the spoon, and I ended up following suit.

_-s-_

15 minutes later, we were both running for the bathroom. It hit us at the same time.

When we got inside, I waved for her to go first.

She shook her head and waved me on.

I ended up just using the sink. Once we were done, we both erupted in laughter.

"I was trying to be polite," she said through little laughs.

I rinsed out my mouth, "What do you think I was doing?"

She took her turn cleaning out her mouth and we walked back to the kitchen together.

It was the oddest sense of togetherness I'd ever felt, puking with someone. I think she felt it too, because she was smiling in the oddest way.

When we got back to the kitchen, Steve and Tony had cleared out and Bruce was doing the dishes.

"You guys alright?" he asked the very second we walked in.

"Never better," Natasha said sarcastically. We laid out on the countertop next to each other and commented on the ceiling fans.

Bruce finished up and headed back up to lab.

"You like him," Natasha stated. Her voice was tired and lazy.

I sighed. "How obvious is it?"

"Ehh, it's not too hard to see. But it's him more than you, if that makes you feel better," she tilted her head over.

It did, completely. Knowing that Bruce liked me back was comforting, and it made the situation much less difficult.

"And I think I should mention that I'm in 136B."

My jaw dropped. She knows everything. Our walls freaking touch.

"Don't freak out. I'm not a gossip or anything. And it's not like you slept together or anything."

I started to smile a little. She was quite right. Everything that I wanted hidden was safe in my head.

"You two are adorable anyway."

I blushed hard and turned my head away.

_-x-_

Thor woke us up at 2:00 to ask if there was any vodka left.

I ignored him and ran to get Loki's lunch. I didn't need him to make anymore assumptions, even if they were inevitable.

"Hello, Loki," I said with little conviction.

"You're two hours late. Should I ask?"

"No," I said as I opened his cell.

"That's okay. I know what happened anyway," he dismissed the thought.

"No you don't. Your hearing isn't that good," I challenged while closing the door.

"How did that soup taste?" he smirked. If he smirked one more time…

_-x-_

Back in the kitchen, I noted that everyone must've put a lot of effort into eating lunch silently. That or they made Tony and Thor eat outside. I would guess the latter.

Natasha was impatiently showing Thor the correct way to use a can of whipped topping, which was quite a sight to behold.

Natasha finally told him to go bug Steve, which he did gladly. About Steve…

"Would I be assuming if I mentioned how much time you and Steve spend together?" I smirked and hoped it wasn't a Loki smirk.

She laughed. "Assuming wrongly."

"Shoot. I was hoping I could prevent you from blackmailing me," I smiled. Honestly, I was just curious. The two were always together and he was lonely.

"I'm asexual."

"Pshh. Don't try that card. I read your file," I waved my hand at her. There was no way she was asexual. No way at all.

She bit her lip. "Damn. I thought that might work."

"Then there must be someone. Tony?" I smirked a bit bigger.

She was disgusted. "I don't want STD's thank you. And I'll stop you before you say Bruce or Loki." She moved to rearrange the cabinet.

"Darn. Those were my next guesses," I teased. "Fury."

"No."

"Uncle Phil?"

"No. Why would I?"

"Thor."

"That's hilarious."

I pondered for a minute. Who would it be? Who does she match up with? It hit me like a train.

"Clint."

She turned around to look at me. "Don't s-say that." She was stuttering. I just hit the nail on the head.

"It's him!" I fist pumped in triumph. No blackmail, yay!

"No it's not," she turned back around and fumbled with the water faucet.

"You even asked me if I'd heard anything new a few days ago," I crossed my arms and smiled.

"We're not together," she finally gave in.

"That doesn't mean you can't like each other. I get it. Star-crossed lovers. That's cute."

"Please don't call Clint and I star-crossed lovers EVER again."

"What am I supposed to call you? Successful lovers?"

"You're acting like Tony."

"If I were acting like Tony, I would be asking a very different set of questions."

"True."

"So. How did you two meet?" I grinned. This was way too much fun.

"We aren't having a slumber party, Lily," she rolled her eyes.

I figured that I might as well get Loki's dinner to him early, considering how late lunch was and how little progress I was making uncovering the facts from Natasha.

"Okay, I'm getting Loki his dinner, and when I come back, you're fessing up," I pointed at her. She looked half scared. I'd never seen her look scared, and I doubted anyone else had either. I'd found her weak spot.

_-x-_

"Early," Loki said very blankly.

"Good observation," I said with equal blankness. Door opened. Tray on floor. Walk back out.

"I'm still hatching an evil plan that involves using your feelings for the Beast in a diabolical way," he said in a cheery voice.

"I can't wait, Loki. And he has a name, Smarty-Pants."

"Excuse me?" he asked with a confused expression.

"It's a Human thing," I coughed. "You wouldn't understand."

_-x-_

When I came back to the kitchen, I wasn't at all surprised to find that Natasha was standing behind Thor.

Everyone else was in the kitchen also, and it was suspicious. I'd say she asked them to come down early. It sounded like something she'd do. She needed to accept the fact that she couldn't hide forever. On further thought, she could. Natasha's an agent after all.

Tony was all fired up about the salad he made. He even called the dressing exquisite. What a weirdo.

I didn't try any. In fact I didn't try anything. I didn't want a repeat bathroom trip.

Bruce leaned over, "Broccoli?" he whispered with that lopsided smile of his.

I blushed. That was blush worthy. Tony saw. Damn Tony and his all seeing eyes.

When he finally started dispersing, Natasha slipped out quickly behind Thor.

I considered tracking her down, but decided that a nap in the storage room was in line.

_-x-_

Night 11

"Bruce?" I sang. He already knew what to do.

"I'm coming, dear," he teased. We locked arms and stepped into the elevator. He let me kick the button. I love kicking elevator buttons.

"So Natasha is in the room next to mine, and heard you put me to sleep last night," I looked up at him.

He smiled. "How cute did she think it was?" The elevator dinged.

"Adorable."

"You're adorable," he said suddenly. I think it made my heart stop.

He bent down just a little and kissed my forehead. My knees almost buckled.

"Goodnight, Lily."

"Goodnight, Bruce," I smiled, "And thank you for the soup."

"It came out of a can," he smiled sheepishly.

"And I threw it up."

We both laughed and finally went into our rooms. A few minutes later, my phone vibrated.

**You're adorable.**

**Go to sleep, you star-crossed lover:)**

_-x-_

Notes

I'm quite proud of this one. I loved getting a scenery change for them and using new situations. My head is pounding from all of this writing, and I need sleep desperately. Writing is painful, no matter what they tell you.

And can I get a woop woop for Clint and Natasha being awkwardly chaste in that you-two-are-totally-doing-it way? No? Okay:(

Next chapter is Thor. YAY! And I think I'll just say now that it could be the best one yet.

Love,

_-Maddie-_


	12. Velociraptor

So, this chapter will be quite a bit different than all of the others. It's told from Thor's perspective, with a hint of Bruce perspective.

The woop woop for Nat and Clint has reached 8! Woop woop!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily.

_-x-_

I awoke that morning at 9:47 in Midgard time, and was quite pleased with myself for finally sleeping in. Of course, Lily wouldn't collect me for another hour, so I had ample time to waste.

How do I waste my time, you ask?

It seems that Mr. Stark would be the one to ask that question, as he is the one that assisted me in hacking SHIELD's security cameras. With a little bit of extra work, we synchronized every camera to a different television channel. It allows for easy access, and I find it much more pleasing than watching the human channels. Those "guidos" disturb me.

Tony himself was in the lab with Dr. Banner, who looked weary. The Dr. had a miniature window open on his computer that I revealed to be a security camera fixed on Loki, who would be getting breakfast soon. I wondered if he was still attempting to hide his affections for the girl from Tony.

The soup was pretty blatant. Yes, I was watching from the television. No, I should not be judged for that.

The only person that hadn't noticed was the Captain, and he certainly had his suspicions. These thoughts prompted me to change the channel.

In the basement, Steve and Natasha were kickboxing. Barely. Their movements were lazy and incomplete. Morale was low today, I noted.

Lily was finishing up the breakfast runs, as expected. She looked quite tired, perhaps moody. "Hangovers" should not last into the second day, unless you drink like Mr. Stark does, so there must have been something on her mind. She made the turn to the elevator, and that could only mean that she was waking me up.

I turned off the television and crawled into my bed. Authenticity was a must when faking things like these.

Perhaps I could help her with this bad mood. She finds my antics with the appliances hysterical, if irritating, and I have not even tried modifying the Kitchen-Aid yet.

My secret mission for the day: irritate everyone in every way possible. To coin one of Tony's terms, I would be "trolling". What an interesting term it was. It would be sure to boost morale.

And came the knocking. "Thor?"

"UGGGHHHHH," I replied. I hope that foreshadowed her day ahead.

"Wake up, Thor," she sighed. Lily must think I'm an idiot. How wrong she is. I'm smart enough to fool her every morning.

I bursted through the door and drew in an exaggerated breath. "WHERE HATH MY BREAKFAST GONE?"

Hath. That was a good one.

_-x-_

"Thor, could you not break the elevator?"

"WHERE IS BREAKFAST?"

The elevator finally dinged, and Lily got out as fast as she could. I followed right behind, which seemed to annoy her.

Once inside, I feasted on the leftover eggs and burnt toast. She had one egg and stopped with that.

If my appetite isn't amusing her, my appliance antics will! One destroyed Kitchen-Aid, still no cigar.

Lily just stared blankly into the distance. The distance of the countertop, that is. "Are you alright today?" I asked sincerely. She was concerning me. By now she would be horribly angry at me for breaking SHIELD property, or at least pretend to be angry while holding in a fit of giggles.

"Yeah," was her unconvincing reply.

"Romantic angst?" I asked with my head cocked to the side. It was bold, I am aware.

She scoffed and then smiled. "You go from idiot to smart-guy really fast."

So, she was catching onto my grand scheme of pretending to be an idiot so as to impress everyone once they learned how intelligent I really am. This could not happen.

It was high time to stir some ambiguity into this cauldron.

With a swift motion, I picked her up and placed her on my shoulders.

She gasped and clutched onto my hair. I took a hold of each leg and kept her steady, but it didn't calm her down.

"What the hell?" she asked in that pissed off voice of hers.

"WE ARE THE VELOCIRAPTOR. RAWRR."

"THOR! Are you snorting cocaine? Put me down!" she kicked my chest.

"THAT SOUNDS PAINFUL," I boomed.

"Thor, we can be reasonable," the slow, calm approach seemed to be her new angle, "Just let me down and I won't pull your hair."

Panic. Not my hair, my gorgeous godly hair.

"Not until you play Velociraptor with me," I pouted like a child.

She hesitated a moment and stopped kicking. "You have to tell me what it is first."

I felt positively giddy now. "You are the head. You bite and growl. I use your legs to kick," I explained very simply while moving her legs around to illustrate my pint.

"Thor, who are we biting and kicking?" she asked.

Hmm. I had not thought it out this far. On Asgard, we played Velociraptor everywhere. Including the dinner table.

"Well. Perhaps we could attack the workers in the hallways?" I would've scratched my head if I didn't have a leg to hold on to.

Though I couldn't see her face without severely damaging my neck, I have a feeling she was smiling.

"Or we could get Steve and Natasha," she replied with a diabolical tone.

"BRILLIANT!" I began running for the hallway. Lily laughed and grabbed onto my head tighter.

"RAAAAAWWWWRRRRRR!"

_-x-_

I am sure that Lily appreciated the vantage point sitting on my shoulders allowed considering her true height. The elevator was tricky to get into, but once inside, we went to work on our plan of attack.

"I say we hide behind a punching bag and tackle them when they get close," Lily whispered.

"BRILLIANT!"

"Shhh. Don't give us away!" she hissed.

"Sorry," I whispered. "And once they are tackled, we run and hide."

"Sounds great."

We "bumped knuckles" and stepped out of the elevator as discreetly as possible.

Behind the punching bag, we waited for the opportune moment. Steve slowly drew near, so I glanced at Lily for conformation.

She nodded.

"RAAAAWWWRRRR!"

Steve turned around briefly, "HOLY JESU-."

The remainder of his sentence was cut off by my torso. He was mumbling, and perhaps those little stings I felt were punches.

"Thor! Get up!" Lily hissed into my ear.

I jumped off of Steve, who was using colorful words, and ran back to the elevator.

"WOOO!" we yelled in unison once we were safe inside of the lift.

"That was awesome!" Lily yelled. "We need to get Tony and Bruce next!" she was already enthralled by this game, and it made me glad. My secret mission was already near complete.

"OF COURSE! ONWARD!" I cheered.

"What other games do you play on Asgard?" she asked after a minute of silence.

"We have Peanut fairs, and baby throwing parties-,"

"WHAT? BABY THROWING PARTIES?"

I gasped. That was very much a mistake. "NO, no. WE THROW BABIES PARTIES. We love babies."

_-x-_

Loki always came first, regardless of his complaining over the imperfect childhood he experienced.

Now was no exception, as Lily had to deliver his lunch before we could attack the scientists.

I tapped the countertop impatiently. She was taking a long period of time, and that was worrying. She had become too friendly with my brother for my tastes. It was something I'd been worrying about frequently.

"Sorry, he was chatty today," she smiled. We wasted no more time on setting up our next ambush. The laboratory housed too many valuable items, so we agreed upon luring them into the kitchen.

**Can you two get your lunches from the kitchen today?**

Lily was contacting Bruce with her cell phone while we waited behind the kitchen door in Velociraptor form. I felt a small vibration a few moments later.

**Yeah, sure. We're on our way:)**

I was sure that she felt a little bit of remorse for using him like this, especially considering the smile he sent in the message.

_-x-_

(Bruce's perspective)

"Tony? You awake?" I asked my dear friend, who was splayed out on a work surface like a dead bird.

"No, I'm meditating."

"That's a very… odd position for meditation," I chuckled.

"It's a hell of a lot sexier than criss-cross applesauce."

I rolled my eyes. Tony, Tony, Tony.

"We have to get lunch from the kitchen," I said quietly, so as not to disturb his inner Chi.

"Wait, what? Why can't Lily do it?" he opened his eyes and sat up.

I put my hands up in defense. I didn't know why Lily couldn't bring up lunch, and I really wanted to make sure she was okay. But Tony couldn't be allowed to know anymore than what he already did, so I faked indifference.

"Fine." Tony stood up and started to walk out. Of course, he still held the elevator door for me. He really could be a gentleman if he wanted to.

Neither Thor nor Lily were in plain sight upon reaching the cafeteria, which should've been a clue that something was up.

It wasn't of course, and the second we stepped through the kitchen doors we were attacked by the pair.

_-x-_

"I CALL FOR A LUNCH BREAK!" Tony yelled after 20 minutes of chasing around the cafeteria.

I was panting like a dog. Dogs. Odd creatures. I let Lily down from my shoulders to find that she was just as out of breath, if not more.

It was then that I realized what a stupid idea it was to chase Bruce around a cafeteria when he had Tony on his shoulders.

His heart rate was up. His breathing methods were strange, and some almost looked painful. They scared Lily out of her senses. She went a shade paler than normal, which was a feat, considering how light she is already. He came out of it after a few minutes and resented the attention he got.

Lunch involved a bout of heated staring and obvious rivalry. I went to great lengths not to break the truce, as there were so many opportunities to strike.

Sadly, the prime opportunity was seized by a certain redhead sitting on a certain blondes shoulders.

This means war.

_-x-_

All hell had broken loose.

Lily and I were crouched in a corner that offered a good view of two hallways. We were still vulnerable to Bruce and Tony, though my Godly intuition told me that Bruce would not consider tackling me while Lily was on my shoulders.

Then, both of the other raptors could be heard from opposite ends of the hallway. We were caught in the eye of the storm, proverbially, of course.

Natasha was barking orders at Steve, who was becoming weary of carrying her. She saw the pair of us from the other end of the hallway. "TAKE DOWN LILY AND THOR!"

Steve and Bruce both started charging. I braced myself for the impact.

"Hey, we don't have to play against each other," Lily reasoned. "We could combine forces a-and, PRANK FURY!"

Steve slowed down a little bit. He was interested, as the rest of us were.

Tony's face lit up like the moon. "Lily. I love you."

She sighed and backed away before he could kiss her cheek. "That's what they all say."

_-x-_

After a nutritious dinner break, three towering Velociraptors stalked into the workroom.

Fury had his back turned to the dinosaurs, all of which had paper bags over their 6 faces.

The middle raptor held out three fingers.

Two fingers.

One.

The one finger left tapped the man's shoulder.

He spun around. "AGH! WHAT THE HAYL?"

Tony coughed. "Drink up me 'earties! Yo-ho! Yo-ho!" he sang out.

Fury just stood there immobile. The look on his face was absolutely priceless, in every meaning of the word. Lily and Natasha soon joined in, and the effect was near instant.

Fury was without a doubt receiving the oddest, most awkward, and most offensive serenade of his life.

Whose idea was it to sing the pirate song to a man with an eyepatch? The Man of Iron. That's who.

_-x-_

"So how much money are we betting on getting our asses kicked by Fury tomorrow?" Steve asked once we had all retreated to the kitchen. Maria threatened to bring in soldiers.

We didn't need soldiers, or they didn't need us, more accurately.

"I'm in 20," Tony said with a yawn. At that point, the yawn went viral.

Everyone in the room stretched at the same time.

We even decided to go to sleep early at the same time. What copy-cats we are.

At that we all went to bed, excepting Lily who had a meal to deliver, and Bruce who was conveniently washing dishes.

What a precious pair.

_-x-_

And then came the recent highlight of my nights: Eavesdropping on those two.

"I still can't believe you lied to me like that," Bruce pouted.

"Come on. You got your lunch in the end," she laughed.

"That's true. And we scared the hell out of Fury." I smiled from within my room.

"Goodnight, Bruce," she said finally. I didn't want to spend time considering what happened during that silence.

"Goodnight, Lily."

Is he not going to kiss her head tonight? I waited a minute, and nothing happened. Their relationship (if it could be considered one) was ridiculously puzzling.

He fancies her.

She fancies him.

They insist on making it complicated.

"Goodnight, Thor," Lily called through the wall.

"Rawr."

Petty humans.

_-x-_

Notes

You like? I like:) This perspective is super fun to write from. They're in trouble! Uh-oh!

I hope I'm not the only person that's played the dinosaur game. If you haven't, find someone compatible and do it! It's amazing!

Next chapter will be… Phil. Yes! More of that guy! Woop!

Until next time,

_-Maddie-_


	13. Grocery Stores

Coulson chapter! Woot! And by Coulson, I mean Son of Coul, not Daughter of Coul.

Feedback for last chapter was fantastic! I hope I've spread around the game of Velociraptor a little bit. Here's hoping you find someone crazy and strong enough to carry you on their shoulders!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. She's in trouble.

_-x-_

I woke up at the crack of dawn, as I always do. After a 10 minute shower, I was drinking my first cup of coffee for the day. Don't be fooled by me telling Lily that coffee is evil. I just don't want her to get as addicted to it as I am.

I made my way into the workroom where Director Fury and Maria were scowling. The sight prompted me to hold in a smile.

Yes, I saw the serenade last night. I also saw the Velociraptor game. No, I'm not stalking Lily.

Okay, yes I am, but shouldn't I? This isn't exactly the safest place to intern, and I happen to care for her safety a whole lot.

"Coulson," Fury coughed at me. "I need to see Stark, Banner, Rogers, Romanoff, your niece, and… uh… Thor," he said, after trying to remember Thor's last name. Odinson, I added in my head. I walked out and debated getting them all, but decided there was an easier way to do this.

**Round up all your friends and bring them to the workroom. Fury is not happy.**

I tapped the phone against my hip waiting for a reply.

**Arrrgh.**

I smiled at her wit and waited for them to arrive. Knowing Fury, they'd all be given punishments for the day. Don't ask how I know this. I would prefer not to remember my past punishments.

Tony skipped past me and straight into the workroom with Thor following behind. Steve and Natasha were already sweaty and walking a bit slow. And of course, Lily and Bruce walked in together.

I fought back the urge to roll my eyes.

Fury was… Furious. Tehehehe. He ordered them all to sit down. They did so quickly, noticing his sharp tone.

Fury first looked at Steve, "You will mop every surface in the basement." Steve looked surprised. Maybe he didn't expect Fury to be so lethal.

"You," he nodded to Natasha, "and you," then to Thor, "Will find a way to reassemble every kitchen appliance you've destroyed. Am I clear?"

"But Sir-," Natasha started.

"AM I CLEAR?"

She slumped back into the chair. "Yes, Sir."

"And you," he started to smirk almost as he looked at Tony. So very scary, "You clean the hair out of every personal shower drain in the building."

"No," Tony fired back.

"Excuse me?" Fury started giving him that look. That horrible, awful look that chilled to the bone.

Tony cowered and mumbled to himself. Lily chuckled just a little bit.

He nodded his head to her suddenly. "You clean every toilet on base," She cringed just a little. He nodded to Bruce as an afterthought, "You help her." Lily stopped cringing. The both of them bumped fists under the table.

Some punishment that was. I'm sure they'd both love it, as long as they got to do it together. Bruce seemed like a great guy and all, but my selfish side wished Lily liked someone else. Someone more American, and Soldier-ish.

I mean, how many guys get to say, "Hey, my niece is dating Captain America." Zero. None at all, because no guy is that lucky.

How many guys say, "Hey, my niece is dating a guy with a big green monster for an alter-ego." None, because that's just weird. Not exactly the kind of thing anyone would understand either.

Fury finally dismissed them after pointing out the cleaning supplies and explaining where the instruction manuals for the kitchen appliances were.

He then turned to me. Oh goodie.

"Coulson, I need you to pick these items up from the store," he said with a little piece of paper extended out to me.

"Okay," I murmured and headed off to the helicopter hangar, where I knew I'd have a pilot waiting for me.

Going to grocery stores shouldn't be a part of my job. I'm a secret freaking agent, and a good one at that. It was… humiliating.

_-x-_

The place was packed. Full to the brim. I dug the list Fury gave me out of my pants pocket and was relieved that it was short.

Coffee grounds (Decaf and Regular)

Skim Milk

Greek Yogurt (Blueberry)

Feta Cheese

Pita Bread

Hummus

Why all the Greek food? Fury hates anything that doesn't taste good with barbecue sauce or ketchup, and I don't think Maria eats.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and headed for the dairy section, my least favorite part of any store. Being the lactose intolerant man that I am, I hate looking at milk and cheese. I just get mad.

With milk, goat cheese, and yogurt in my cart, I headed to the bread section to get the Pita.

Does he want the pockets? The chips? The dough mix?

Screw it. I got one of each.

I could now make it to my favorite part of every store: the Coffee Aisle *Cue Alleluia Chorus*. I breathed in the scent and made my selections. French Vanilla Regular and Plain Decaf. So so so so good.

I mentally checked off my list with a grin. The last one might be tricky…

Where in the heck is the hummus? Do grocery stores like these even have hummus? I would explode if I had to go to the Whole Foods down the street.

Organic food is harder to injure people with. True story.

It's not in the dairy. That makes sense.

Not in the breads.

Not in the soap section. That makes sense, too.

Not in the Jell-O aisle. Why do they even have one?

BEANS. HUMMUS IS MADE OF BEANS. I face palmed and groaned, which earned me an odd look from a toddler and her dad. I smiled at the two and rushed down three aisles.

I picked out the biggest tub and threw it down in the cart.

Now I could checkout! Then I could leave! Then I could watch Lily clean toilets on the security cameras!

I sighed in frustration once I reached the checkout line. Even the 15 items or less line was backed up four carts, but it was better than waiting in the line with eight carts. A woman with a stroller got in line behind me, and I had half the mind to let her skip me, but decided against it.

I couldn't leave Bruce alone with Lily for long, even if he was the nicest man in the history of forever. What am I now? Lily's overprotective uncle?

I rolled my eyes. The line wasn't moving at all. I looked forward to see that the woman in the front was having trouble picking out a candy bar. The man in front of me seemed less irritated. Interesting. I started surveying his cart.

He had 17 items. Oh hell no.

THAT SICK BASTARD. I try not to use that word, by the way, considering that my niece I so dearly love is one. She's the good kind of bastard that makes the best out of it. This guy was just… no. Horrible, Diabolical.

I reached out and tapped him on the shoulder. "Sir!" I coughed.

"What do yew want?" he squinted at me. His tattered T shirt and outgrown beard suggested that he wasn't one for appearances, and as of now he was judging the hell out of me and my suit. Not to mention my healthy Greek food.

"You have 17 items in your cart. This is the 15 items or less line," I said directly.

He laughed. It was a disgusting, hoarse kind of laugh. "Are you gonna sue me, fancy man?"

"No, but I have the mind to cut in front of you," I said with a smile, "And judging by the way your belly is hanging over your pants, you don't need all of that food."

Apply cold water to burn.

His face went hot. "You wanna take this to the parkin' lot?" the man asked between chews of tobacco. Disgusting.

"Sir, I could kill you with all 17 of the items in your cart. That includes the jumbo buttered hot dog buns."

He stared a moment longer, squinted, and finally took his cart to the back of the line to the right.

_-x-_

Back in the helicopter, I was more than ready to get back to base. The ride wasn't unbearably long, so I just sat around and read Captain America comics. I silently noted that the real Captain had a much more proportionate head. That's odd.

Oh well. The helicopter landed and let me out. I thanked my pilot and stepped onto the solid ground.

I put the groceries into the mini-fridge in the employee lounge and made my way back to my room to get my own belated lunch. Passing through the hallway, I heard Stark going insane.

"OH GOD, NO. I COULD GET AIDS FROM THIS!"

I chuckled and kept walking. Considering Tony's reputation, he's lucky not to be infected already.

It's a good thing Lily isn't into him. Or Thor, for that matter.

I didn't really want Demigod grandchildren. Well, grandnieces and grandnephews technically.

Whatever. I might as well be her dad anyway.

_-x-_

My next mission, now that my belly was full, was to find the bathroom with Lily and Bruce in it and successfully spy on the pair. There weren't good enough cameras in the bathrooms.

Passing through the hallway, I eavesdropped on Tony a little bit.

"NO THOR. I CAN'T READ INSTRUCTION MANUALS IN GERMAN. I CAN'T READ GERMAN AT ALL. PUT NAT ON THE PHONE."

I chuckled a little.

"NAT. HI. CAN YOU TAKE THOR'S PHONE AWAY?"

Pause.

"Yes, thank you. I can stop yelling."

Pause.

"Natasha, I'm too busy CLEANING YOUR DRAIN to help you assemble a toaster oven."

Pause.

"NO, BRUCE DOESN'T SPEAK GERMAN."

With that, I decided to move on and respect his privacy. Tony had been acting a little funky lately. Why he was upset wasn't obvious, and I really couldn't imagine what he thought about on a daily basis.

Moving on, the workroom bathroom was impeccably cleaned, toilet-wise, so I gathered they'd already been here.

The second floor bathroom was in similar shape. Interesting.

The first floor facilities were… you guessed it. Sparkly clean.

The bathroom adjacent to the kitchen- there was laughing. Here we go.

I slipped into the first stall unnoticed, or so I hoped. With a swift motion, I pulled my feet onto the seat. Number one rule to eavesdropping in a public restroom: Don't let them see your feet.

Number two: Don't really use the bathroom. But that's beside the point.

"Bruce, could you throw me the wand thingy-ma-bop?" Lily mused.

"The what?" he asked. I could hear him smiling.

"The wand thingy-ma-bop."

He laughed. "One more time?"

"The wand th- hey, that's not cool."

I momentarily forgot my spying and chuckled. I couldn't help it. That was too cute.

Now that my position was compromised, I needed to get out of here fast.

"Phil, come on! I just cleaned that one!" Lily whined as she caught me. Darn. So close.

"I noticed!" I smiled at her before walking out.

Whew. Handled that one well. She won't suspect a thing. She won't suspect a thingy-ma-bop, to be exact.

_-x-_

"I hope you've learned your lesson," Fury said harshly, once the group had assembled around the table.

"What lesson would that be? Learning what color PUBES everyone has?" Tony yelled. He eyed at everyone in the room, instantly making us all self-conscious. He looked at Natasha a second longer. "Your hair is dyed, by the way."

Fury pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "The lesson that this is a WORKPLACE. Not a playground."

"Really? Cause this place looks A HELL OF A LOT LIKE CHUCK-E-CHEESE," Tony screamed and stormed out of the room with wild hand movements. He stopped a moment and looked at Lily. "And don't get me started on your curls."

She blushed deep red, as did everyone else in the room. We were all as embarrassed for her as she was for herself.

"Umm. You're dismissed," Fury said finally, breaking up the silence.

Everyone hurried from the room to get back to their lives, and for Natasha and Lily, to escape the awkward environment.

Nat whispered something in Lily's ear and the two bursted out laughing. I can only imagine.

_-x-_

After a full day of groceries and eavesdropping, I walked into my room and plopped down on the bed. After brewing a cup of decaf Amaretto coffee, I flipped on the TV and searched for the security camera with Lily on it.

I'm aware Stark and Thor have tapped into the cameras and set them up on their own TV's. They're late bloomers. I did it the day Lily came because I knew that she'd be fun to stalk.

The elevator camera showed her in all her curly-headed glory talking to… you guessed it, Bruce. They were too quiet to hear from this camera, and once they made it to the hallway, I still couldn't hear.

They talked a little bit, and at one point, Lily bursted out laughing. When she finished, there was a bit of a silence.

Bruce started leaning forward.

IS HE GOING TO DO IT? HE BETTER NOT. I'MA SPILL MY COFFEE.

I was standing up by now, fully ready to run down the hallway and knock him unconscious. He leaned forward and… kissed her forehead. Then her nose.

That's… adorable.

Lily giggled, and they said goodnight and went into their respective rooms.

I got back under the covers and started calming down. That wasn't bad. It was kind of good in fact.

Let it be a testament to every woman that a man that kisses your forehead before your lips is a man to keep.

I think I just dubbed Bruce a keeper. Gasp.

I would still prefer her with someone like the Captain, but he was a very solid Plan B.

Very solid indeed.

_-x-_

Notes

To me, Phil is ridiculously underestimated because of his happy face and general niceness. I'm sure he is honestly the biggest BAMF in history. Other than Sherlock, may I add again.

I admit the inspiration for this chapter here, right now. I saw a guy in a very swanky suit and sunglasses at Wal-Mart a couple of days ago (don't judge me for shopping there; I hate it as much as the next person). It made me wonder if SHIELD sent secret agents to grocery stores, because yes, this story is all I can think about lately. Thank God school is over. I figured that if they did, Phil would do it:)

Next chapter will be Tony centric, and quite important to the plot! We'll find out what's on his mind! Not one to miss, m'dears!

Love y'all,

_- Maddie -_


	14. In Which Tony Stark Cries

Before we do this (Why does that sound so dirty? Why?), I know what you're thinking. Yay! Tony chapter, this'll be super funny!

Not exactly. In this chapter, Tony won't be cracking any jokes. Nuh-uh, he'll be doing the Stark opposite(That pun was completely intended). I hope it'll still be a good one, as it will be very important to the plot.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. She's missed you guys.

_-x-_

Day 14

Normal alarm clocks make a slightly abrasive sound when set off. You know, the standard beep, beep, beep.

SHIELD alarm clocks, on the other hand, make a noise comparable to a goat being raped by an elephant.

I silenced the violated goat and hopped out of bed and into the shower. The first thing I noticed, apart from the rearranged shampoo and conditioner, was how fast the thing was draining. It was almost sucking the water in.

Blush. Tony Stark knew more about me, and everyone on base than I'd like him to. Especially considering his recent moods and outbursts.

It made me wonder for a moment, what could possibly have the high and mighty Tony Stark so worked up? Was he missing that assistant I'd read about? Maybe he wasn't getting enough of an ego boost from being around these people. They were pretty cool, after all.

The kitchen was refurbished with repaired appliances, and I felt myself getting a little bit proud of Thor and Nat. They were quite talented people.

Two breakfasts in hand, I made my way down to the basement.

Steve had already started up on the punching bag, but Natasha was still hanging back at the bench. I wordlessly handed her both breakfasts. She looked tired, so I saved her from conversation. This place was really clean. SUPER clean.

Steve was good at something other than dancing. Imagine that.

_-x-_

"Lily, my dearest! I am so glad you could make it!" Loki hissed sarcastically.

"Oh, Loki. You know I ADORE bringing you meals three times a day."

"As you adore that alarm clock of yours."

I stopped in my tracks. His super hearing was getting better and better, it seemed. I sat down the tray and speed walked out of the room. That was extremely scary to me, knowing that he could hear something that small.

Oh, well. I sighed. I wonder if he listens to me sighing.

And now is the point where I walk into the lab and fight back the urge to kiss Bruce's face repeatedly.

It was getting harder and harder (That's what Tony said).

"Hey, Bruce," I said happily.

"Hey, Lily. Have you seen Tony?"

I looked around the room. How strange, Tony isn't here. That explains Bruce's question.

"No, not really. Doesn't he wake up before the crack of dawn?" I cocked my head to the side.

"Something like that," he smiled. I sat down at the table and entertained myself by staring at Loki's scepter. Okay, I stared at Bruce, too. But mainly, I couldn't keep my eyes off the scepter.

Oh, Boy. "I'ma go get Thor," I said suddenly, and hopped out the door and to the elevator.

I needed distraction, and if Thor ever got sick of thunder, he'd be the God of Diversions.

_-x-_

"Thor? Wake up, man."

He came through the door rather quickly, locked arms with me, and led me down the hallway to the elevator, all without a word.

"You okay, Thor?" I asked finally. He was being entirely too quiet for my tastes.

"Verily."

Great. That makes two people going insane on base.

"I brought a party," I yawned in the lab. Bruce smiled and Thor sat with me at the table. He, too, was transfixed by the scepter.

Once I was tired of just staring at it, I prodded some questions from Thor.

"How long has he had it?"

"Ehh, a while now."

"Where'd he get it from?"

"I am completely clueless on that subject."

Bruce tossed a file over to me that read "SCEPTER" in large print. "Thank ya, dear."

Thor looked up at me and smirked. My eyes doubled in size. MOTHER OF THOR.

I just called Bruce "dear".

Guess what I did? I blushed.

_-x-_

"Do you think we should wake up Tony?" Bruce asked Thor and me. I was almost asleep myself, and I didn't exactly want to go wake up someone, but it had to be done at some point.

"Yeah, we should," I stood up and stretched while Bruce shut down the computer. "We can bring lunch to him."

After a stopover to the kitchen, I decided to drop off Nat and Steve's food first. Bruce and Thor were more than capable of taking care of Tony on their own.

My two favorite athletes were resting on their favorite workbench when I arrived at the basement. They seemed to be working a little slow today.

"Hey, guys," I said quietly, sitting down on the bench and handing over their lunches.

Natasha yawned. Steve didn't do anything. Was everyone going cuckoo around here?

"Everything alright?"

"Peachy."

I sighed. No conversation here.

Loki's banter was irritating, but it was something, after all.

"You came back," Loki said with mock happiness.

"I didn't exactly have a choice." Door open. Tray down. Door closed.

"What do you think is making them 'cuckoo'?" Loki challenged me. He was standing now, which was always a scary thing.

"That depends on who you're referring to."

"Who do you think I'm referring to?" he tested.

"I don't think you're helping, Loki," I said finally. From there I walked out of the room and marched to the elevator.

In Tony's room, there was quite a sight to behold. He was crying. Thor had a big beefy arm around his shoulder and Bruce was working on the TV.

On said TV was an image of Loki cackling inside his cell. He was staring straight at us, Tony in particular. "How'd you get the security cameras on the TV?" I asked in disbelief. I've heard stories about Tony's hacking skills, but I'd never witnessed anything firsthand.

"Hacking," Thor said simply.

"Can't we just turn it off?"

"Loki's controlling it. It won't go off. I've even unplugged it," Bruce said from behind the TV.

Somewhere near an hour later, Bruce rewired the TV back to the regular program.

5 hours of sitting, waiting, watching Say Yes to the Dress, giving sympathetic looks to each other, and waiting for Tony to stop crying, nothing had changed. We'd effectively wasted an entire day. Mental health leave, I decided.

"Okay, I'll go get Loki his dinner," I sighed once my stomach started grumbling.

"No," Tony grabbed my arm. He looked so scared.

"Yes," I pried his hand off of me.

Bruce and Thor looked on fearfully. Tony was losing it.

_-x-_

"Is everything alright with Stark?" Loki asked. He gave me that all-knowing smirk.

"Loki. Can we not talk to each other just this once?" I asked while setting his tray on the floor.

"As you wish," he snarled.

I smiled and walked out of the cell.

"Could you, perhaps, relay a message to him for me?"

"No," I answered simply and walked out of the room before Loki could protest.

_-x-_

**Hey, could you and Steve get dinner in Tony's room? He needs moral support.**

I sat the dinner boxes and my protein shake on Tony's dresser while I waited for a reply.

**Yeah, sure. 116A, am I right?**

I silently wondered how she knew. Wait, she knows everything.

**Yep.**

Thor and Bruce were still sitting at the foot of the bed watching TV. Tony himself remained under the covers with that horrible blank stare.

I handed Thor and Bruce their dinners and set Tony's on his lap. Shake in hand, I crawled in bed next to him and tried watching the program.

Jousting competitions. Whose idea was this?

I stared off into space with Tony and found comfort in it. Just letting my head go blank for a while felt amazing.

Natasha and Steve, in all of their sweaty glory, ruined the moment with their arrival. They both took their boxes, and Steve took the chair next to the bed. Natasha crawled in next to me. She didn't take up much room, and the three of us fit comfortably.

Nat turned to me and whispered, "He hasn't made a joke about being in bed with us yet."

I snickered and turned back around. She was onto something. Tony would be taking this moment very differently under dissimilar circumstances.

We all tuned out for a while. The jousting was more interesting than I thought it would be. We were all quite pleasantly surprised by it. The sky had gone completely dark, based on the view from Tony's tiny window. Now was a good time to go to sleep, though I didn't have any intention of leaving until he got better.

"He's going to kill us all," Tony whispered to me very suddenly.

"Calm down, Tony. He won't get out of the cell," I mumbled.

"HE'S BEEN READING YOUR MIND, LILY. LOKI IS A PSYCHIC," he bursted out at me. All eyes turned our way.

"What?" Steve asked, flabbergasted.

"Yeah, what?" Natasha repeated.

Tony didn't take his eyes off of mine. His stare was SO intense. More so than Loki's. "He knows things you don't say, even when you're alone. Super hearing my ass," he started mumbling.

I backed away a little bit and tried to absorb his words. Loki. Psychic.

Strangely, it did make sense. The things he said about my alarm clock, the hinting of everyone going 'cuckoo'. But it couldn't be true, right? I'd read so many files on the guy, and not one mentioned mind reading.

I looked around the room and realized that everyone else had the same thoughts running through their heads.

"Well, then. Goodnight everybody," Steve said, breaking up the silence.

"Yeah, night," Natasha said awkwardly. They both walked out of the room with Thor trailing behind them.

Why didn't Thor say anything? Surely he knows. He grew up with Loki.

I sat there and stared at the wall until I felt a hand on my knee. Bruce. Touching. Knee.

He nodded at the door, and I took his hint. Bruce's hand skimmed across the small of my back and pulled me towards the door.

Tony pulled the covers over his head once we turned out the lights to his room. Poor guy.

_-x-_

Night 14

"Well, I hope Tony really has gone crazy," Bruce said with a swallow. Did he really believe this?

"What, are you worried?" I raised my eyebrows. Tony did have a good point, but there wasn't any mention of psychic powers in Loki's personal files, and they had an AWFUL lot of powers listed.

"It's just - Say Loki is psychic - pretend," he nodded at me. "He would know ev-er-y-thing. He could take SHIELD down in minutes."

I swallowed. If Tony was right, we would be screwed. But he wasn't. Was he?

"And now, when you get him breakfast tomorrow, he'll know we've figured it out. And you'll be the one he takes it out on," he trailed off and looked away a little bit.

I pondered this for a minute. It was true, if Loki wanted to hurt someone, I'd be the easiest target. "He won't hurt me, Bruce," I said finally. I was lying, which I don't make a habit of doing.

"Yeah, he better not," he smiled that adorable lopsided grin I'd grown so fond of.

I smiled back. Lord knows that if Loki hurt me, Bruce, or well, the Hulk would do very unfavorable things to Loki. I felt a little bit safer with this knowledge.

"Just be careful. Okay?" he said with a little bit of fear laced in his voice.

"Yeah, I'll be safe."

He grabbed my cheek and kissed my forehead. "Goodnight, Lily," he walked into his room before I could reply, which was good.

My face went entirely too hot from the hand contact.

I felt a headache coming on, so I went to bed as fast as possible. Today had been stressful, to say the least. Tomorrow, it seemed, wouldn't be any better.

_-x-_

Notes

Short chapter, I'm aware.

COULD IT BE? Loki is psychic? Whuuuuut? We will see in the next chapter, which is centered around…. You guessed it already. Loki.

There will be an amazingly cool split Pov between Lily and Loki, and I'm not quite sure how I'll work it out yet. I'm very excited about it though. It might involve a song, also. It's a very good song, though, and I do believe you'll like it if you give it a proper chance.

Anywho, I need to sleep now:)

_- Maddie -_


	15. The Mess

This chapter's pretty short; it just gets to the point.

The related song is *drum roll please* Heart's a Mess, by Gotye.

It's a great song, the artist is adorable (I want to have his babies), and the lyrics fit this chapter unimaginably well. Take a listen on YouTube, it's just a click away.

Now that that's over with, I'm quite excited for this chapter, and there will be a very important announcement at the end. Everytime you see a divider, the POV's switch from Loki to Lily, vice versa.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. Loki might be psychic, just thought I'd throw that out there.

_-x-_

Day 15

I woke up that morning feeling a bit jumpy. The entire hallway was silent; everyone was either sleeping or being especially quiet. Tony was snoring lightly, which instantly comforted me. At least he fell asleep last night.

Shower. Dry hair. Put on uniform. Face the day. My first trip was to the cafeteria, to bring Loki breakfast. Bruce's voice played in the back of my mind during my walk down. "What if he is psychic?" I asked myself aloud. And if he was, how far away did he have to be to read us?

Fear is an emotion that SHIELD personnel are not allowed to display. It's reasonable that the group I would loosely refer to as my friends don't really work here, because fear was etched into every line of every face that awaited me in the kitchen. Tony was the first person I noticed, naturally. He was sitting at the table, a half-eaten chocolate bar in front of him. Thor and Natasha were standing behind him, each with wrappers balled up in their fists.

And then there was Bruce. He looked calm, as always, but I could see through his facade. He was keeping it in, and that was something he was brilliant at.

Steve held Loki's tray in his hands, and it didn't exactly look like he wanted to give it to me.

I didn't want to take it, which makes things fair. Steve picked up on that and set it down on the counter.

We all stood there for a while just staring at each other. There was some form of silent war being waged, based on the heated stares coming from Natasha.

"I'll do it," Steve said abruptly. All eyes moved to him. Natasha scowled, which meant that Steve wouldn't be delivering Loki's breakfast this morning.

Thor grunted, which could be interpreted a number of ways. Tony wasn't up to par, and Loki had done enough to his head already, and there was Bruce, but I didn't want him to have to go inside that cell.

Realizing that I was the only person fit for the job (and always had been), I picked up the tray and nodded. They nodded back, though Steve looked apprehensive. He was the chivalrous, knight-in-shining-armor type, and definitely didn't agree with sending me in for this.

But really, hadn't I done this so many times before? The vague possibility of Loki having psychic powers does change things, but it shouldn't be this dramatic, should it?

Bruce opened the door and decided that he would come with me. At least to the last hallway, because the cell room would be too much.

We stayed quiet, apart from the few little gazes that were shared. They were worth more than words, as cliché as it sounds.

We waited outside of the door for a few moments, delaying what had to be done.

"Be careful," he whispered finally, taking my hand in his. It was so so warm.

I smiled a bit, reveling in the touch of his hand. "I'll be quick."

"I'm right here," Bruce said with a little smile and an equally light squeeze of my hand.

I drew a breath and opened the door.

And in walks the first influx of information of the day.

I tapped into Lily's mind and was mildly surprised by what I found. They've figured it out, finally. Tony, as she calls him, told the group last night after becoming weary of my little games. To be fair, the games I played should have cracked him days ago. He was a resilient man, perhaps good enough to be "recruited".

The entire team was watching from their Televisions, ready to defend the little woman. And the beast was standing outside of this room, ready to attack me if need be. That's laughable. How can I infuriate him?

"Good morning, gorgeous," I said with a deep, sultry tone.

Lily smiled, reassured that I wasn't reading her mind, as I would know by now that she wasn't interested. An intriguing thought.

Well, that clears that up. If Loki was psychic, he'd have picked up on the fact that I wasn't into him. Being called gorgeous wouldn't have worked anyway, though I give him an A for effort.

"You know I'm not one for flattery, Loki," I smiled, opening his door calmly. Tony was wrong. Right?

"Flattery works on females normally," he said thoughtfully. I laid the tray on the floor and stepped back out of the cell. Once the door was closed, I could almost hear everyone's sighs of relief.

"I'm not the most normal female, if you haven't noticed," I said truthfully. Normal girls don't marry broccoli, sleep like burritos, babysit Gods with dinosaur-like tendencies, etc.

"But you still have those dreaded hormones." That smirk. That horrible, terrible, all-knowing smirk that blew Tony's out of the water.

Gulp. I didn't need this. Not now, while everyone was watching. "Don't tell me Gods don't have them."

He only smiled, the bastard. On that note, I walked out of the door and into a pair of arms. You know whose they were.

What to do now? Even if she doesn't think me to be psychic, that Director can't be fooled. And Stark, if anyone can convince him that I don't read minds, he really would be insane.

Furthermore, how can I use this little woman to set off the beast?

Kill her? Not worth it. They would kill me.

Plant a bomb on her? I don't have bombs.

Wipe her mind clean? That would be a waste of a girl with a fair bit of knowledge.

Full search of her head to find anything that could be used against her?

That could be arranged.

"Hormones," Bruce chuckled. I laughed a little, knowing that there was probably a group of people watching our exchange.

Our moment stopped when the elevator dinged and Phil walked out. He ran down the hallway and near tackled me. I hugged him back, even if it was an awkward position to hug from.

"Well, he doesn't seem too psychic, does he?" Phil smiled once he pulled away.

I smiled back and followed Phil into the elevator. Once inside, Phil stood proudly in between Bruce and me. Awkward.

I thought Phil liked Bruce. I like Bruce. I like him a lot.

Upon reaching the floor of the workroom, Phil stepped out, with a wink in my direction and a pat on my arm.

Maybe Phil does like Bruce after all.

_-x-_

"Guys?" I called into the cafeteria, where there weren't any signs of life but the few late breakfast eaters.

No one called back, so Bruce and I decided to search the kitchen.

"Thor?"

"Steve?"

"Nat?"

"Tony?" I finally called, to which I heard a reply.

It was a muffled "Tehehehe" coming from the storage room followed by a "shush". I waved Bruce over to the door and pressed my ear to it.

After another muffled laugh, I decided to open the door and see what they were up to. Bad move, Lily. Bad move.

In the room were two, you guessed it, Velociraptors.

"GRAAWRRGGHH!"

Oh Lord, Thor and Tony tackled me to the ground. I turned a little to see that Bruce suffered a similar fate, brought on by Steve and Natasha.

It was hard not to laugh, even if my face was partially covered by Thor's ribs. I started wriggling my way out, just enough to breathe properly.

I sighed, "I love you guys."

Thor grunted and started tickling Steve's stomach.

"Stop it!" Steve growled.

"NOTHING CAN STOP ME!"

It's safe to say that I'm the single most ticklish person on the planet, so I took this moment to shove Tony and Thor off of me and run into the cafeteria.

_-x-_

3 hours later, Bruce, Tony, Thor, and I were hiding in the lab with the lights out, crouched against the floor, hiding from a certain dinosaur.

"It's time for lunch," I whispered to Bruce, standing up slowly.

"Do I get to walk you down the hall again?" he looked over at me and smiled.

I smiled back, "Nah, just take care of them," I said with a nod at Tony and Thor, who both appeared to be sleeping. How sweet they are.

* * *

There she is. She's been playing Velociraptor. MY GAME. ASDFGHJKL.

Calm down Loki, you have a mission to accomplish. "Hello, my dear."

"Hello, Loki," she smiled, opening the door. Once standing in the middle of the room, I made my move.

"Are you afraid of me?" I asked boldly. I knew the answer already, it was incredibly simple.

"No, Loki." For someone so hell bent on honesty, Lily was an impressive liar. Until I read her mind, at least.

"Does this make you nervous?" I asked, standing up while she placed the tray on the floor.

She looked up at me with wide eyes. Yes, she was nervous, very nervous. "No, Loki."

Liar.

"What about this?" I closed the gap between us. The guards raised their guns, but it was futile. The box is too thick for a bullet to pierce. We were at arm's-length distance from each other now, and she was horrified, regardless of her stoic expression.

How Human.

* * *

Loki was close. So close. I could feel Bruce running down the hallway at this point, I knew he was. Loki's pale hands reached out to my ears, and I prayed he would just do it fast. Get it over with.

He touched my temples, and I felt my head start pounding.

* * *

My fingers touched her temples just barely. She still thought I was murdering her.

I made contact, and then, in that moment, she let me into her mind without resistance. I saw everything. Every bit of it. Every file about me, every bit of information on the group that was assembled to neutralize me, everything she knew about the organization her uncle worked for, everything I needed to know to destroy this place from the inside out.

And then I saw the unfavorable bits.

The girl was a mess. A proper mess.

The door bursted open, so I took that as my cue to let go of Lily. She fell back on the ground unconscious, her shoulder taking all of the impact. Her mind couldn't take my searching through it, no human mind could.

Coming through said open door was a very unhappy looking group. There was the Captain, who got to me first, and landed a blow to my gut. I felt something like a rib cracking.

My brother reached the cell next and decided to hold me back while the Captain beat me.

The widow rushed over to the girl, who looked to be unconscious, or at least sleeping. Tony wouldn't go in, obviously still afraid of me, even if he was in good enough shape to play MY GAME.

But where was the big green monster? Were they holding him back? My eyes were going hazy from the strikes from Steve's fist, but I couldn't see anything green.

He was bent over Lily, still flesh colored and normal sized, checking her vitals. He turned around to me for a minute. Wasn't he angry by now? Didn't he want to kill me?

The man directly in front of me obviously did want to kill me, as the next blow to my stomach made me double over.

I hadn't been in this much pain since I'd birthed that horse. Thor let go of me and let me drop to the floor. Steve kicked me against the wall, as far away from the medics that were placing the girl on the stretcher as I could get.

Finally, I heard my door close as the team walked out of my cell.

And so I lay there, on the floor, fighting back the urge to laugh. Laughing would hurt my chest, which was tender. How could this not work? I severely underestimated that beast's control.

Now, he'd be much more vulnerable to my attack, though. More vulnerable to destroying this place and setting me free. 2 more days, if Barton has still been keeping track.

And Lily, what a shame.

She's entirely too much like me. I pity her for that.

_-x-_

Notes

YOUR HEART'S A MEEEEESS! YOU WON'T ADMIT TOOOOO IT! (If anyone else happens to love this song, I'd just like to make you my favorite)

Guess how much fluff Lily's injury is going to lend itself to? A lot.

Forgive me, I can't update this next week. I'll be in the middle-of-nowhere part of Ohio digging storm drains and repairing roofs and porches (that's why I required a shot lol) from tomorrow to the next Sunday. Should be amazing.

I apologize ahead to all of the people reading this in 2042, because that announcement didn't really pertain to you, and there is a button at the bottom of the screen that will take you to Chapter 16, which is from Bruce's POV.

Until then, I love you all, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart.

_- Maddie -_


	16. Of Hospital Waiting Rooms

So, Ohio was amazing fantastic wonderful. And I got a concussion. A painful, if minor, concussion. I hit my head on a pipe. I'm cool now, and still waiting to get super powers from it.

I missed you all dearly and I apologize for not replying to reviews and such, I've been tired c:

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. She's asleep.

_-x-_

12:00 AM. How long had it been now? Were we up to 12 hours yet?

Me, the God of Thunder, and the Son of Coul being we.

"We" had been sitting outside of SHIELD's fancy little medical center since, well, yesterdays lunch.

Tony was put to bed hours ago, but his phone sat on the chair next to mine, taunting me. I could watch the tapes, get angrier than I already was, and end up completely destroying the place. Phil noticed my staring and decided to pocket the phone. Or I could wait, waiting was safe.

What was going on in that room? Slow doctors annoy me to no end, considering how fast-paced India was. If anyone should be in there helping Lily, it's me.

1:00. That makes another hour. Phil sighed. Thor tapped his foot against the chair leg.

"They could be faster," he mumbled. Phil leaned his head back in agreement.

Any small bit of information they could give us would help. The littlest indication of how she was doing would be amazing.

Is she conscious? Sleeping? Comatose?

I watched the clock. 1:15. Do they even know these things?

At 1:30, I silently decided that I was going in the room in thirty minutes. I couldn't take this much longer, and the doctors are too afraid of me to refuse.

1:45

1:48

1:50

1:51

1:51

1:51

Deep breaths. Stay calm. Keep it in.

And at 1:58, just as I was standing up to go in there, a door opens and a nurse appears.

"She's sleeping," he pointed back at the room with his thumb as a way of telling us we could go in.

How long did it take to figure that out? All three of us rushed past the medical staff and into her room.

There she was, bedded, and sleeping like a baby. So peaceful and so pretty. Sigh. A tall nurse took Lily's arm in hand and started putting in an IV. She was doing it wrong, of course.

"No," I stopped the nurse and pointed to the pale arm in question. "Put it in here, it'll hurt less."

The nurse rolled her eyes and just gave me the needle, which I gladly accepted. I gently inserted the needle, taking insane amounts of care in preventing unnecessary pain. Phil smiled at this careful injection, and Thor said something akin to "Dawww". Lily would be blushing right now if she was awake.

When will she wake up? Is her head okay? Her shoulder?

How long will it be before I murder Loki? Who'll bring his meals to the cell? Should he get meals?

I at least know that Loki could go without any form of kindness. He could go without breathing, too.

I could kill him. I could smash him through that cell wall. I could snap his ne-

Calm down. Breathing, breathing, breathing. I unclenched my fist and relaxed in the chair next to the bed. Lily would want you to stay calm.

But Lily unconscious because of that Goddamn-

Calm. Breathe. Peaceful thoughts.

Weigh the consequences. You could hurt a whole lot of people, Lily included. And hurting her would absolutely crush you.

My conscience was right- I was properly attached to her. Hence waiting outside of her room for 14 hours without eating or sleeping. And I didn't mind it. I'd do it over again, hard as it was.

Lily's hair was getting looser now from the natural oils. It was still wavy and it suited her perfectly, as always. I smiled unconsciously, just looking at her hair.

If Phil weren't in the room, I'd be holding her hand by now. It was close to my edge of the bed and it looked so cold. I didn't want a smack in the face from Phil, so I kept my hands off. I couldn't tell if Phil liked me yet.

There was the time he spied on us cleaning toilets, his wink in the elevator yesterday, and I'm fairly positive that he's been watching our goodnights. The goodnights shouldn't offend him, should they? Forehead kisses are good, right?

I mean, if I were a girl…

Yeah. Forehead kisses are good.

Lily shifted a little and took in an odd breath, which stopped my breathing entirely for a moment. She turned her head over in my direction. I fought back the urge to stare at her face, because again, her overprotective uncle was sitting on the other side of her bed, not to mention Thor.

Thor is a genius. I wonder if he's psychic too.

A doctor walked in the room and stopped in his tracks upon seeing us. "Visit is over," he said pointing at the door.

"No," Phil shot back. "It's not."

The doctor sighed, "Stand back then."

We stood back and watched as he attempted some kind of odd diagnosing process. He looked at her head, touched it once or twice, and then checked her ears. Finally, biting his lip in thought, he walked out of the room.

I moved to the bed to try for myself, to see what the doctor saw.

I gently lifted her head from the pillow, after a nod from Phil, and felt her skull for anything irregular. Nothing. Ears? Clear. What was wrong with her? Was anything wrong at all?

I laid her head back down and picked up her bed chart. My suspicions were confirmed. Nothing was apparently wrong. She was only sleeping, with shoulder and tailbone injuries from falling the way she did.

"There's nothing wrong with her head," I whispered, my lips twitching up. Thor grinned. Phil cracked a smile.

I felt a good bit of anger subside knowing that Loki hadn't cracked her skull.

Footsteps outside prompted me to put the chart back, but it was too late. The doctor gave all three of us a death glare. How dare I touch his chart?

_-x-_

Phil normally would've fought orders to leave, but knowing that Lily wasn't in immediate danger and that we were misbehaving made him more compliant.

Waiting wasn't near as painful now, even if I wasn't fond of the doctor's methods. He didn't seem very capable, but what do I know? I don't have a degree.

I was still worried to death and angry beyond measure, but just seeing her lightened the load a little.

The clock read 6:10, and everyone was getting tired. Phil was already asleep beside me, and Thor was headed in a similar direction.

But I just couldn't bring myself to sleep. I stared at the wall, the door, Thor's sandals. There were too many things in my head to pick apart, to worry about, and eventually blame myself for.

I laid my head back and stared at the ceiling. Is Lily dreaming? What would she be dreaming about?

Loki or me? Bad dream or good dream? Maybe I was making myself too important. Who said she even liked me? Who says a dream about me is a good one?

So, I started doubting myself. What if Lily just tolerates me? Maybe she's just a flirt that enjoys forehead kisses. What girl doesn't?

Giving myself too much time to think things over is always a mistake. It always ends badly, and sometimes- largely.

I couldn't picture her having good dreams after something that traumatic. I figured they were horrible awful dreams, and that in itself made me want to go in that room and cuddle her senseless.

Would she enjoy being cuddled senseless by me?

This thinking was killing me. I can't just sit here and convince myself she didn't like me, because she does like me. I think.

*Pinch bridge of nose*

The doors to the room opened and in walked a girl holding four breakfast containers. "I you're your breakfast!" she sang excitedly.

Tall. Bony thin. Straight blonde hair. Hips swinging every which way. Lip-glossed smile.

This is how fast Fury replaces Lily. And he does a shitty job of it. I begrudgingly took the box, as did Thor, but Phil just couldn't. He sat there, completely dumbfounded.

"Who the hell are you?" Phil hissed. He hissed, I tell you. This man was seriously protective of Lily; I'd never seen him angry like this.

The girl swallowed, "Um, I'm the new intern." She smiled big and wide and hideous. Phil recoiled, disgusted by Fury's actions. Thor was pretending to be confused while actually understanding every single bit of the situation.

"Is that for Loki?" I asked the girl suddenly, pointing to the tray in her hand. She nodded excitedly. I got up and snatched it from her hand, racing to the elevator before anyone could stop me.

_-x-_

"Of all the people to bring my food, Dr. Banner." Loki said, chuckling.

"What'd you do her?" I asked quietly, standing as close to the glass as I could. "Wipe her memories?" I questioned.

Loki chuckled. "You're the doctor."

I walked over to the cell control panel and opened Loki's door.

"Are you not going to ask me to sit on my bed?"

"I'm not afraid of you, Loki," I said truthfully, walking into his cell. I'm not afraid of much of anything, save getting on Thor's shoulders.

"I'm aware of that," he smirked. God, I hate that smirk. "How is she feeling?"

I sighed through clenched teeth. Calm down. "She's asleep," I said lamely, knowing that Loki already knew all of this.

"Are you angry with me yet?" Loki teased, beginning to pace the floor.

The door to the room slammed open, making the both of us jump. In came a ridiculous amount of soldiers, all led by Fury.

A pair ran at me, taking my shoulders and trying to drag me out. I kept my eyes on Loki, who was being held back in a similar way.

"Maybe they'll give you your cell back," Loki whispered to me with a twisted smile.

I couldn't stay calm. It just wouldn't work. My head started pounding. I shoved the soldier off my right arm and swung a fist at Loki's jaw.

It made contact, to say the least. There was blood coming from his mouth. I relaxed, shoved the other guard off of me as gently as I could, and walked myself out of the room. I avoided Fury's gaze at all costs.

_-x-_

Natasha, Steve, and Tony were waiting outside of Lily's room now, taking their rotation. I silently wondered how they convinced Phil to leave, unless they carried him out while he was sleeping.

Natasha was apprehensive and without a doubt worried about me. She put a hand on my shoulder and led me to a seat between Steve and Tony. I wasn't sure if she was afraid of me or not. She had reason to be.

Steve looked pretty blank, like he was contemplating whether I did the right thing. But honestly, how much mercy does one person deserve?

Tony, on the other hand, was proud. Almost beaming. He pinched my shoulder; I hit his arm lightly.

"Have you seen her yet?" I asked finally.

"No," Steve answered instantly and eagerly. "How is she?"

"Asleep," I murmured. Is the doctor so mad at me that he won't let these guys in? Really?

At 10:00, my question was answered. The doctor stepped out of the door and mumbled, "She can have visitors now."

We all stood up and went in quickly. He gave me a glare, but allowed me in out of pure fear. He didn't want to make me angry, who would?

My breathing hitched just seeing her. She hadn't really moved, but she looked so different. Her skin was a shade paler, her hair was tangled, and her feet were twitching underneath the blanket. This couldn't be healthy.

Her expression was absolutely torturing me. She looked so scared, worried, panicked. I couldn't take looking at it, but I couldn't stop.

The new intern came into the room and stood there awkwardly. "Who's that?" she asked. her voice hinting disgust.

The temperature in the room must've gone up at least 10 degrees. I felt my eyes turning green.

"Leave," Natasha fumed.

The girl opened her mouth to protest, or backtalk, or maybe even apologize, but she didn't get the chance.

"Now."

Defeated, the girl rolled her eyes and walked out. Maybe we were being too harsh to her. She could be very a sweet person, but just, Lily isn't the kind of girl you can replace.

Steve and Natasha took seats on the other side of her bed while Tony stood up at the foot of the bed.

"She looks scared," Tony said blankly. Steve grunted in agreement.

It hit me right there, who she was afraid of. This time, for the first time, I wasn't the scary one. Loki was the scary one, according to her.

Maybe that's why I like her so much, in addition to every single aspect of her personality, every cute little mannerism, and just her hair in general. She isn't afraid of me.

That intern came in after an hour and handed us our lunches shyly. Natasha snarled at her, so Steve apologized for the redhead's behavior and took the lunch from her.

Tony seemed conflicted. The new girl was attractive, without a doubt, but could he possibly flirt with her under these circumstances? While Lily was like this?

No, he couldn't. He took the box without a word.

She came over to me and I saw something I wished I wouldn't have. The nametag.

Daisy. Her name was Daisy.

She handed me my lunch, turned out of the room, and closed the door quickly.

"HOLY SHIT."

"I KNOW!"

"DID YOU SEE THAT?"

"WHAT THE HELL?"

"FURY CAN SUCK MY-,"

_-x-_

I hope this is the last time I ever have to sit in this waiting room, or any waiting room for that matter. We were only two hours in, but I just couldn't take it this time. She was getting an MRI somewhere down the hall, but for some stupid reason, we couldn't see her for "at least three hours" after the scan.

Does it take three hours to look at MRI results? No. Does it take three hours to recover from an MRI? No.

My heartbeat started getting faster. I gripped the chair arms tighter.

"Go to sleep, Bruce," Tony said quietly.

"Seriously," Steve added.

I've been watching too much sleeping to realize how much I need it myself. "Just… will you call me when we can see her?"

"No, we'll barricade your door and seal off the air vents to your room," Natasha said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay. Goodnight then," I said nervously, standing up to leave. I have to say "goodnight" regardless of the time of day. Force of habit, I guess.

I took the elevator down to my room alone. Lily would be commenting on the ridiculous 50,000 pound weight capacity, or that cute little ding the elevator makes when it stops.

I missed her. And how long since we talked? 28 hours. That's pathetic.

I threw my shoes at the ground and flopped down on the bed face first. Soon enough I was getting much needed sleep.

_-x-_

9:00 P.M.

Ah. So they don't wake me up when I ask. I tumbled off the bed and found my shoes, which were hard to put on standing up.

I flew down the hallway and into the elevator, cursing how slow it was moving.

Twisting and turning to get to the medical center, checking every waiting room. They were all empty, which could only mean that Lily had visitors.

"Hi," I said, bursting through the door.

It was an adorable scene to walk in on; Steve and Tony sleeping on both of Natasha's shoulders. I felt bad breaking it up.

She shrugged, waking them both up with a start. "Go to sleep in your own beds."

"But you have such a comfy nest," Tony mumbled.

They all stood up and did awkward stretches that made me uncomfortable.

"Will you be okay?" Nat whispered to me in a gruff-but- sensitive kind of voice.

"Yeah," I lied. I'd be fine, just not okay.

"Okay then, I guess we're headed out," she said with a yawn, Steve, and Tony following suit. The door closed gently behind the trio, leaving me alone with Lily for the first time in 33 hours. I hope this countdown ends soon.

I took the moment to sit down and clutch her freezing cold hand. She had most of the color back in her face, but her hands and arms were still paler than normal.

"Wake up," I said quietly, hoping she was faking all of this, but she didn't respond. I was stupid for thinking she would.

I laid my head down on the side of her bed, her hand in mine. I was satisfied sleeping this close to her, even if I'd prefer being awake this close to each other.

And I almost forgot this time.

"Goodnight, Lily," I whispered, sitting up and kissing her forehead gently. I just wish she'd wake up so I could kiss her lips.

_-x-_

Notes

I hope I haven't destroyed you all with Bruce's self-doubt, but hey, can't we all relate? Picking apart everything someone does, trying to see if they're really interested in you or just being friendly? Am I the only one here?

And yay! I have Gotye fans reading! I just love that man entirely too much. I hope all of my future children have noses like his, and quite frankly, DNA like his.

Next update should be relatively soon, I hope. I will reply to reviews this time, because I won't be as tired and woozy by the time they come in:)

Love you and miss you,

_- Maddie-_


	17. Waking Up

This chapter will be a bit spastic, maybe hard to follow. It's mainly told from Lily's POV, but will include a bit of Thor, Steve, Nat, Phil, and *you guessed it* Bruce perspective. I'm excited!

And dawww, the concern for my head was touching. I feel pretty good now, so don't worry. I'm feeling good enough to write this crazy thing.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. She's waking up, I do believe.

_-x-_

Day 17

My eyes fluttered open gently, giving me a fuzzy view of my surroundings. Everything was white, and I was freezing cold. Snow? Was this snow? No, probably not. Living in Colorado 99% of my life, I know snow well.

It was still pretty white though. Like…

That apartment in Wyoming. They sent me home, didn't they? They didn't think I could take being this close to Loki.

Loki. How much does he know about me now? Everything. I wonder what he thinks of me now, and how long it took for him to be afraid. I am a mess, after all.

I craned my neck to get a better view of my horrible apartment, but I wasn't in my apartment, I was in a hospital. That's logical, taking the sick girl to the hospital.

Where is everybody, though? I couldn't imagine Phil staying out of the room, unless they forced him to.

I sat up a little bit and moved to scratch the back of my neck, but my hand wouldn't budge. I looked down and saw the reason why.

Bruce fell asleep holding my hand. His hair was messy and he looked so worried, even from a viewpoint like mine. I should let him sleep, right? He needs sleep, but I really want to talk to him. I want to tell him that I'm okay, not to be worried, and how much I love him.

Okay, I won't tell him how much I love him. He'd be afraid of me if he really knew that.

I squeezed his warm hand lightly. He shot his head up, looking at me instantly. A sleepy little smile spread across his face.

He let go of my hand and wrapped both arms around me, careful not to touch my shoulder. "I missed you," he whispered.

Oh goodness. How long can I keep this in? "I would've missed you if I were awake."

He laughed and pulled back, reaching for his phone. "Do you want more visitors?" He asked, taking my hand again. God, his hand was warm.

"Of course," I smiled, hoping I didn't look too incredibly awful in this moment. It didn't really matter though, did it? I was alive and well, if a bit bruised on my shoulder and well, my bottom hurt.

_-x-_

*Natasha*

All of this exercising was wearing me down. Steve looked to be in a similar state, as this "little break" had lasted through lunch and two hours past.

We hadn't spoken to each other at all. What would we say, though? Loki is capable of destroying this place in minutes? Lily may be a zombie when she wakes up? Fury is the biggest bastard I've ever met?

God, this situation was screwed up. My pocket started vibrating, making me jump with excitement.

**Someone wants visitors:)**

Hmmm. He used a smiley face, which can only mean one thing. Lily is okay. She's not been lobotomized or turned into a Loki-minion.

"She's okay," I said to Steve, who had his head down on the table.

"What? Since when?"

"Since 10 seconds ago. C'mon," I said, standing up and running to the elevator. Steve followed suit and even beat me there.

There aren't any words to explain how good of news this is for me. This shows that no matter how little it is, there's compassion, mercy, or some kind of pity in Loki's heart.

And maybe if we're lucky, he'll take some of this mercy out on Clint.

_-x-_

*Thor*

I pressed "play" for the seventh time and watched the same scenario play out. I kept thinking that if I watched it for long enough it would somehow change.

Lily hits the floor.

The Captain runs in and beats my brother senseless. What do I do?

I hold Loki's arms back, allowing Steve better access to my brother's ribcage.

When I could not watch any more, I changed channels and watched the live cameras showing my brother.

He looked so beaten. The freshest wound, one from Bruce's fist, seemed to be almost mocking me.

I should be looking out for my brother, not letting him be hurt. But he was becoming so evil so quickly.

What did he have to gain from searching Lily's mind? A halfway tragic life story? An odd amount of files concerning him?

I felt that "cell phone" vibrate on my nightstand and reached over to grab it.

**Someone wants visitors:)**

I breathed a sigh of relief. The hospital camera's were harder to hack in to, according to Tony, so I've been relatively in the dark concerning Lily recently.

Seeing her should be a good distraction from my brother. I needed more interruptions to my thought process.

_-x-_

*Phil*

**Someone wants visitors:)**

I threw my phone down on the table and ran for the door, ignoring Fury's stare. "Coulson?" he called after me, but I ignored it, like a boss. Fury didn't deserve my attention right now.

Lily was awake. That's all that mattered right now. I could lose my job and be okay with it.

I still can't believe I let Steve and Natasha convince me to stay away from her this long, regardless of giving Bruce space. I hope Bruce got enough space to last, because I don't want to have to be away from her while she's sick EVER again.

This experience was enough, too much, in fact.

_-x-_

*Tony*

I picked up my phone from the lab table before the vibrating annoyed me any longer.

**Someone wants visitors:)**

So Loki was good enough not to kill her after all. This narrows it down to him searching through her mind for anything of use. There was a checklist of Loki's powers I found on a Norse mythology website out on the tabletop, and seeing that Lily was well enough for Bruce to text a smiley face meant that Loki didn't wipe her mind clean. What a relief that was.

I stood up and made my way down the hallway and into the elevator.

A question kept messing around in the back of my head. Did Lily see any of Loki's mind?

A bigger question came into play: How many jokes can I make about Lily's tailbone?

_-x-_

*Steve*

"Hey wait, I'll go get Lily and Bruce's lunches and bring them up," I said after a minute of thought. We very clearly told everyone to stay away from her room and leave the two alone. I doubt "Daisy" disobeyed me.

"Pshh. I'm not waiting. Meet us all in there," Nat said, slipping out of the elevator and taking the hallway that led to the medical center.

She's strong minded without a doubt. Women in general have changed a lot since my times. What happened to chivalry? Tony Stark happened, that's what.

Daisy was texting on her cellular telephone when I got to the kitchen. I decided not to bother her and just snatch the boxes. She looked pretty absorbed in the thing.

I'm a bit glad I haven't learned how to use one. They just seem too much like mind control devices for me.

_-x-_

*Bruce*

At the first sign of the door opening, I had to let go of Lily's hand. It didn't feel right to subject her to any embarrassment right now. She understood and welcomed Phil, who was ecstatic to see her.

Natasha came in next and threw her arms around her, a first for Natasha probably. Then Thor and Tony, Steve came in with our lunch, blah blah blah, it all ran together.

I slipped out into the waiting room and sat down for a while.

Lily was awake, so my countdown was officially over.

What happens now? Lily is awake, but Fury's already replaced her. And after we find the Tesseract and Loki gets shipped back to Asgard, will she really want to stay at SHIELD?

I have too many loose ends in India to leave behind. Bringing her along would be dangerous, but if she's okay with waiting...

Oh, Banner. You selfish man.

On cue, most of the party leaves and that doctor enters the room. He's probably doing little tests to check for brain damage, etc. Just let her out already.

Soon enough, the door opened and out walked the lovely Lily back in that uncomfortable uniform. Why do they have to dress employees like that? It just doesn't look comfortable.

_-x-_

*Lily*

Once most of my company was gone, the doctor walked into my room and briefly explained that he'd have to survey me for brain damage before letting me out.

I complied, excited by the words "getting out". The tests were more of the checking for knots on my head, follow my finger with your eyes, tell me how old you are, where were you born kind of tests that they use on little kids.

Not the best doctor, is he? I wonder what Bruce thinks about him. Where did Bruce go, anyway?

After all of this, he called in a nurse to help take out the IV and change me out of this ugly gown.

My feet felt weird on the ground now, once they were planted there. I stumbled a lot and almost fell at one point, but I eventually gained my footing.

Bruce was waiting outside of the room for me, as expected. He's so patient.

"Are we going to the lab?" I asked excitedly. He needed to get back to work and I needed a change of scenery. The lab was the prime choice.

"You're going to bed again," he smiled.

"But I just got done sleeping, and it's not even dinnertime yet," I whined a little bit. Honestly, I was still wore out, though. Loki must've done some pretty hard core searching to hurt my head this bad.

Bruce slipped an arm around my waist and led me down a million and a half hallways and finally to the elevator. I missed the elevator, of all the things to miss. That ridiculous weight capacity never ceased to amaze me. You would have to fit 50 1,000 pound people in here to go over the limit. People are so stupid and so amazing. The elevator dinged and we stepped out into the hallway.

"Goodnight, Lily," he said, kissing my forehead. I silently wondered if he kissed me goodnight while I was asleep. Of course he did.

"It isn't night yet," I smiled.

"That doesn't matter," he smiled back, opening the door for me, and closing it behind me.

Now alone, God, I just felt like crying. I was so tired and so worn down, just from having Loki touch my temples for twenty seconds. Being alone in this room wasn't healthy; it was the prime place for having a breakdown.

Instead, I composed myself for a few minutes and got ready for bed. My hair was tangled and a little oily, despite the shower I had while asleep. It's an interesting thought that someone washed me while I was sleeping. My teeth were brushed, hair was combed, and restroom was used.

I was purposefully ignoring a very big problem. Changing shirts. I could shimmy out of those tight pants and put on sleeping shorts without much use of my shoulder, but there was no way to get this shirt off without hurting myself.

I tried at least ten different ways. Over the right shoulder, over the left, down over the hips, using my teeth. I even thought about cutting myself free.

Maybe I should just ask for help. Ugh, I felt like crying again.

Natasha would be my first choice, considering her gender, but she was too far away and couldn't be bothered with something like this. I don't want to look needy in front of her.

Steve is too socially awkward around women to help me change.

And Tony, just… no.

There was no way in hell I was changing in front of Phil either.

Thor would probably end up tickling me or making fun of my bellybutton. Not going to happen.

Things with Bruce-

And there's someone knocking on the door. "Lily?" Bruce asked quietly. Oh, God. Is Bruce psychic too?

"Yeah," I answered after a second. Hold yourself together, Lily.

"Do you need… help?" he asked gently, leaning through the door. We both knew what he meant. Of course he thinks ahead about every minor problem I'll ever face. Why wouldn't he?

I should say no. I'm a respectable lady, right? I don't change in front of guys, gentlemen or not. The answer is no.

"No, I-I think I'll be fine," I said in a rush. That was unconvincing.

"So you're going to sleep with a nametag pin sticking into you?" he smiled just a little.

I laughed, "If I have to."

Bruce sighed and walked in, stopping when he got to me. "Let me help you."

Because he hasn't helped me enough today. I hesitated, but I couldn't stop him. "Okay."

He reached for the hem of my shirt and eased it over my left shoulder. I looked at everything in the room but him.

This was so wrong, so wrong. I was changing in front of a guy I hadn't known for more than 2 weeks.

But it didn't really feel wrong, and maybe I'm sleazy for not feeling too bad about this. Yes, I was embarrassed, but it was just Bruce. He doesn't see this as some kind of show. He's helping me. If he thought this was anything more his heart rate would be up, and he would know to stop.

The shirt was off and the blushing began. Bruce looked less embarrassed, though he was avoiding eye contact. He was tan anyway; his blushing would be near invisible.

Hey, at least I wore a pretty bra. But these shorts are way too… short.

Bruce reached for my only button up sleep shirt, unfolded it, and helped me in.

Now that I was fully clothed, if scantily clothed, we could look each other in the eye. "Thank you," I said finally, feeling my eyes tear up all the way. He was so incredibly sweet and perfect and amazing and everything I've ever wanted / needed / dreamed about. He was beautiful, inside and out.

And before I could start properly crying, he put an arm around my waist and kissed me.

It took a second for me to realize what was happening, but when I did, my head must've exploded. I couldn't feel it on there anymore. This moment was just too perfect for words.

There was no way I would break away from this. It would have to be him or one of us suffocating to break this kiss.

It was me, the shorter one with less lung capacity that needed to come up for air. Not to mention the raging heartbeat I was feeling from him.

He finally pulled down my sheets and helped me in. I wasn't drunk this time, but I was still at liberty of saying something about having his babies. He leaned down to kiss my forehead, something I have dreams about on a regular basis.

"Goodnight, Lily. Don't sleep so long this time," he whispered against my forehead.

"I won't," I said sincerely. I pitied Bruce for having to wait this long for me to wake up. It wasn't something I'd never consciously do again.

"You better not," He laughed, kissing my forehead again. He pulled up my covers as far as they'd go and spared me a glance before walking out of the room, probably to go sleep for himself. It's not like I'd mind him sleeping in here. He could keep me company, and as always, keep me warm.

Freaking hormones.

I, Lily Coulson, am the one thing I never thought I'd be.

I'm in love with someone worth loving, and well… I love it.

_-x-_

Notes

THEY KISSED! ERMAGERD!

Try changing shirts without moving your right shoulder and arm, it's hard!

Oh well. Hope ya liked, and I'll be gone the next few days, but I should update this weekend:)

Until then,

_-Maddie-_


	18. Getting Low

I'm late, I know:( I've got an amazing excuse that you probably wouldn't believe, so I guess I just won't even try it. This chapter occurs shortly after Lily's been put to bed, and will be a little crazy most likely. Hope you follow this okay and like the direction I take.

It's all about to hit the fan :o

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. Shit is going down.

_-x-_

*Bruce*

I closed Lily's door gently and started smiling like an idiot. My heart rate was up, but these days, it was always that way. Why did it take me so long to kiss her? It was so easy and so rewarding.

I feel lighter now, less weighed down, and for no particular reason I want to specify. Still, lighter or not, I can't sleep. More accurately, I can't stop thinking about Lily long enough try sleeping.

After at least an hour of tossing and turning and thinking about curly hair, I gave up. I hadn't worked on anything in days now anyway.

Elevator up. Ding.

"Finally!" Tony exclaimed the second I walked through the lab door. "You kissed her!"

"Do I even ask how you know?"

"There's a camera in every AC unit. Kinky, right?"

He watched her change shirts too. Tony truly can't grasp the concept of privacy, but at least he hasn't shown anyone. Has he? And why is his computer screen flashing red?

"Tony?" I asked slowly, afraid of his response.

"Yes, dear?" he said between blueberries.

"Am I allowed to ask what you're doing?"

"I'm hacking into SHIELD's database and uncovering every Top Secret file ever stashed in these headquarters. Got a problem?"

"No," I sighed, "But Fury will." Fury. He's disgusting.

"Of course he will. It's Fury after all. Is Steve anywhere on the cameras?"

I pulled up the cameras on my monitor and saw, easily, Steve forcing a door open. If I had to guess, I'd say the door led to a storage room. If I had to say anything else, I'd say that Steve is about to see some things he shouldn't. "He's breaking into a storage room, actually."

"Wonderful. Damned Firewalls!" he cursed at the computer.

Fury walked in at this point, as expected. He was hard to look at, knowing his motives. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Oh, don't mind me. Just finding out all of your dirty secrets. Phase Two. What is it?"

"You are here to locate the Tesseract, nothing els-,"

"Daisy. Good choice of name," I cut in. Fury turned towards me.

Steve bursted through the door. "This," he said in disgust, depositing some kind of gun on the lab table. "SHIELD uses the Tesseract to make weapons."

They bickered with Fury, they fought with him. It surprised me how well Tony and Steve could work together when they tried. I stepped back, feeling the stress build inside of me.

Nat came into the room and addressed me, "Bruce, I think you should leave."

"Why? Is this a bad place for me?" I challenged.

Thor came in next, probably to help me out of this lab without as much struggle.

Lily. I hear the word tossed around in Tony's conversation. It's a hard word for me to miss.

"She is an intern. Excuse me for replacing someone that doesn't technically work here."

I'm just completely losing it. My head is gone. Off. I can only thank God Lily isn't here. My eyes are probably green by now.

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his...,"

I scoffed, "Back where? You rented my room."

"The cell was built... ,"

"In case you needed to kill me, but you can't! I know! I tried!" If anyone on the room wasn't staring at me at this point, they were now.

"I got low. I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth. And the other guy spit it out! So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good, until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk!"

Fear showed on their faces at this point. Fury reached for his gun.

" You wanna know my secret, Natasha? You wanna know how I stay calm?"

"Doctor Banner... put down the scepter."

Scepter? I looked down at my hand. I released the weapon onto the table after a moment of shock.

Tony's computer started beeping.

"Sorry, guys. You don't get to see my little party trick after all."

_-x-_

*Lily*

There's a boy. Handsome, strong, blonde, and loved.

And there's a brother. Pale, weak, striking, and never loved in the same way.

But the parents are what bring the family full circle. The mother hugs the boy with both arms, saving him a warm kiss on the cheek. She looks at him with pride. So much pride.

The brother, she barely looks at when she awkwardly puts an arm around him, tensely patting his shoulder.

The father trains the boy in strength, agility, endurance – whatever he can. He watches with pride as he refills his plate over and over. So much pride.

The father also reluctantly finds the boy's brother someone to teach him the lute, after he asks for three years.

The brother cries himself to sleep every night, and the tears are freezing cold.

X

Boom.

The walls shook, waking me up from my nap. What was that?

I hopped out of my bed and ran to the door, still barefoot and wearing sleeping clothes. I bursted into the hallway where there was nothing to be seen. Based on the lighting from the window at the end of the hallway, I hadn't slept more than an hour. That's a rough estimate though.

I knocked on room 142B's door quickly, "Bruce?" I called. No response.

I opened the door and found the bed empty. Oh God. Don't Panic. Just go find him. He's probably in the lab like always.

Elevator = Shut down. I made way to the steps, feeling my heart rate pick up.

A roar, growl, bellow, whatever you choose to call it; I heard it. Where is he? Was that him?

The hallway was insane. Workers ran in every direction to the workroom while I moved in the opposite direction to the lab.

There's a hole. A hole in the floor. Oh God, I should've brought shoes. I took a breath and jumped through, my knees jarring from the impact, not to mention my tailbone, which was halfway gone.

Another roar. My stomach did a full on flip.

I kept walking and saw in the rafters above me, none other than Natasha, who was fighting someone with a bow across their back. Clint. Who else?

I dashed past them, not wanting to distract from their current situation, as scary as it was. Through another door, down a hallway, etc. My heart beat was ringing in my ears. One more door, I was in a hangar.

Is it really him? Maybe. On the inside it is.

I just know that Bruce wouldn't be beating Thor senseless if given the choice. I took a step forward unconsciously, analyzing this form of him.

Another step, another step.

I become conscious of my actions when he noticed me. He stopped himself from punching Thor another time and gave me the most confused expression I'd ever seen. I'm pretty sure I was returning it.

I just couldn't move at all.

Thor stepped towards me slowly, ready to pick me up and run. The… other guy saw this and growled quietly.

"Thor, I wouldn't do that," I said gently. Could Bruce hear my heartbeat right now? How could he not?

I reached out a hand to him, against my better judgment. He stared at it questioning what I was doing.

Slowly, he reached out his own hand, which was at least twice the size of mine. We were so close to touching.

Helicopters. I could hear them from a mile away if I needed to. Gunshots. Also audible from a mile away.

Bruce roared at the machine, running at it without another glance at me.

"DON'T!" I yelled at the helicopter, ready to run after him. Thor picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. I punched his back, forgetting that he was just in a fight with someone at least 20 times stronger than me.

We went up a flight of steps, and by then I had stopped attacking him. He set me down in the hallway with the least amount of panicking workers.

"You stay right here. Don't move," Thor said, wagging a finger at me.

"Where are you going?" I asked quickly.

"Downstairs," he said simply, ruffling my hair and running off.

My head was pounding. My shoulder hurt. Knees. Tailbone. Heart. I was in horrible physical condition right now.

I was still barefoot, too.

Not missing a beat, Phil came at me from the end of the hallway. He took my shoulders in his hands and looked me in the eyes. "Lily? Are you okay?"

Am I okay? No. Not in any way shape or form am I okay in this moment. "Yeah. I'm okay."

He touched the side of my head, "Stay here. I'll take care of Loki."

Loki.

"Clint!" I bursted out. "Help Nat instead. Thor has Loki."

Phil looked a little puzzled. "Where are they?"

"The hangar below the lab," I answered directly, steering him to a safer place.

Stairs down.

_-x-_

I bursted into the room where Loki was arguing with Thor, the latter found his way into the cell.

The stupidity of my actions hit me head on. Why was I in here? I should be in the hallway, shouldn't I? I'm not armed, and I'm anything but dangerous in this state, or any state for that matter. Loki had turned to me abruptly.

"You," Loki said, wearing that smirk, that Goddamned smirk. My heart rate went up even higher. "Did you see it? Did you see the beast?"

The breath caught in my throat. Yes. I saw it, and Loki already knew that, he'd been in my mind at least twice since I'd been in this room.

"Are you scared yet?" he whispered, his hands on the control panel. Thor had sweat dripping off his forehead.

"No," I answered truthfully. If I was afraid of anything, it was the man standing across from me.

Loki only laughed. "You're ridiculous," he spat out between snorts. He moved away from the panel and walked towards me. "I'm the one you're afraid of. You've seen that, and you're afraid of me."

Bingo.

"Why? What makes me so terrifying to you? I wasn't that scary before," he hissed. He was inches away from my face, regardless of the height difference.

I was too brain dead from stress at this point to reply, to even think of something to say. Being this close to Loki made me dizzy.

"TELL ME!" he roared.

I just couldn't. My body went numb. At this point, I became aware of the scepter in his hand as it dug into my thigh. I heard something like Thor yelling, but I couldn't make out any words.

I'm gone at this point, completely gone. My legs crumpled beneath me. I screamed out in pain. Loki took his scepter out of my leg and walked to the panel. Hot blood poured from my leg, and knowing I shouldn't, I didn't look.

He sharply turned to Thor, "Have fun out there," his hands moved to the switch I was told never to use.

Thor cried out, but it was cut off by the sound of wind rushing into the room, taking the cell with it. There goes my only protection in this room.

Loki looked at me and chuckled. "How badly does it hurt?" he challenged.

My mind shifted back into place. "It would," I coughed out, "be worse if I NEGLECTED it."

Loki didn't budge. "You have no idea. Go on thinking your parents were dreadful!" he was pacing now, working off anger he could've released on me, namely my other leg. "You know nothing of abandonment," he hissed, turning from me.

But I do. "I saw it. Every tear was cold."

He turned back around to me. His mouth opened, and closed again. I felt him enter my head, probably to see if I was lying. What I'd give to read his mind at this point.

I see him. The little brother. I can feel his pain, his losses, and his worry like I can feel the blood coming out of my leg. I feel his cold, and God, does it scare me.

We were caught in a stare that neither of us intended on breaking, though Loki kept trying to say something. I didn't have answers for him, naturally. How'd I get into his head? I'm the last one you'd want to ask.

The door opened and in walked Phil, humongous gun in hand. Without a second thought, he blasted Loki into the wall and out of the wall.

"I need medics to the cell room now!" I heard Phil yell into his headpiece as he kneeled beside me.

My leg must've looked disgusting if he was this worked up over it. I still refused to look.

The medical team decided that I didn't need stitches, considering the size of the blade, but I did need a ridiculously thick bandage. I completely zoned out from the rest of the

The leader of the team was the same "incapable" doctor from earlier. I hadn't noticed before, but he had an interesting set of eyes. They were a ridiculously bright blue color, most likely contacts.

I've gotten quite fond of brown eyes recently, I'll admit. Bruce has a perfect pair.

Bruce. My eyes water up when I think of him now. Where did he end up?

He'll come back. He'll find me. I know it.

I trust him.

_-x-_

Notes

Am I allowed to just say something unrelated here? That scene in the beginning of Thor, where Thor is arguing with Odin and Loki is just standing there with the most adorable expression in history, I watched it seven times over. I spent a good amount of time in the mirror learning how to raise one eyebrow at a time, needless to say. Anyone think Tom has amazing eyebrows? Anyone?

AND, before I forget, #Coulson Lives. I love him too much to kill him.

Update shall not be far away,

_-Maddie-_


	19. Are You Sure?

A big whopping kiss to everyone that reviewed and a big whopping warning that I'm typing this VERY late and grammar could be horrendous. We'll see.

This chapter has been planned in my head for a good while now, and I hope to make you all "daww" a little bit. I understand if you don't; not all of us can be hopeless romantics. It takes place right where we left off, by the way.

Disclaimers: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. STAB!

_-x-_

*Tony*

I took off the battered suit and sauntered into the elevator. The elevator still wasn't working. Damn it.

Up a set of stairs, I walked into the workroom where a ridiculous amount of medics were running around each other. Past all of the light blue scrubs, I could see Steve talking with Fury. Calmly talking with Fury, I might add. The whole room exuded chaos, to say it simply.

Steve spotted me and walked over, taking care not to bump into anyone. "Loki got out."

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

"Bruce and Thor both fell out, too."

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

"And Natasha beat the hell out of Barton."

Shi- okay, that's not too bad. "Lily?"

"He didn't say."

Okay then. If that's how Fury wants to play it.

"Where's Phil and Lil?" I turned to Maria, who was getting treated for a wound on her cheek. How bad-ass she is.

"Cell room," she mumbled, swatting away the medic.

I winced. Cell room. Not good. Lily being in a room with Loki is a bad idea.

Lily being in a room with Loki unrestrained is the stupidest, most ridiculous, appalling, and overall inexcusable idea known to man. Part of me is glad Loki escaped from there.

Steve beat me down to the room, more outwardly concerned than I. It isn't like we'll walk into different situations if we get there faster. Steve is such a freaking superhero.

The scenario inside the cell room isn't the type I enjoy walking in on. The overwhelming stink of blood is enough to worry me, but the sight of Lily surrounded by at least 10 nurses and Phil almost crying is enough to scare the hell out of me.

"What did he do?" Steve asked Phil, who was completely hysterical.

"He stabbed her," Phil started, taking a deep breath, "in the leg." Steve took this opportunity to calm him down and point him to the workroom where Fury was worried about him.

Leg. It could be worse. There is an awful lot of blood, though. Recovery doesn't look too easy.

Why would he stab her though? Is there any good reason to hurt someone that innocent? Infuriating Bruce, maybe, but he was already in Green Giant mode to start with.

After what looked like a couple of injections and more wrapping, the medics called it a day and headed out of the cell room.

Steve and I ignored the fact that we were in a pool of dried blood and sat next to Lily.

"How does it feel?" Steve asked quickly, wanting to know as quickly as possible. Superhero.

Lily chuckled, leaning her head back against the wall, "It hurts like hell."

"Shoulder?" I tried.

"Ehh, it's a little better."

"Tailbone? Or should I ask Bruce that question?" I grinned.

She blushed darker than ever before, considering the new level of pallor she was at. Steve gave me a look, the kind of 40's style reprimand he was so good at. Lily didn't seem to mind the humor, though. She had enough of it in herself.

"Oh, Bruce," she said, smiling weakly to herself.

Oh, Bruce. He didn't fall out of the sky with his phone on him, so he wasn't traceable at the moment. If I had to guess, West Manhattan. Maybe.

"You need out of this place," Steve said suddenly. Lily sighed in agreement.

He was right, and I had the perfect place for her.

"Okay then," I said, taking my arm from her shoulder. "You two stay here. I have a plane to hijack."

I got up and made my way to the area of the medical center Natasha's phone was, based on the tracking device. I prepared myself for the worst before opening the door, knowing the history of the two people behind it.

The situation wasn't too bad, albeit their faces were almost touching.

"Tony?" Nat asked, standing up.

"Hi Nat. Clint, Right?" Clint nodded slowly, "Great. I need someone to fly Lily to Stark Tower."

Nat opened her mouth to interject, but I gladly cut in.

"Can we do it quickly, too? The girl's not feeling too hot."

Natasha's mouth stayed partially open, but she only nodded in response.

"Great. Let's get to it before Fury finds out."

I closed the door and pulled out my phone, calling Pepper, who was on speed dial, of course.

"Hello?"

"Hey there, darling."

"Tony, you know that name doesn't work for me."

"Yeah, I'm aware. Anyway, I'm sending you a house guest."

"What?"

"Don't worry, I'm not in love with her. She just needs a good place to go for tonight."

"Why here? I won't even be home tonight."

"Pepper. She spent last night in a hospital and today getting stabbed in the leg by a psychic Norse God."

"That's nothing a hotel can't solve."

"Her boyfriend jumped out of a window."

Pause.

"Well then."

_-x-_

*Lily*

Stark Tower. How fantastic-amazing-jaw-dropping this is. I can try to be excited, maybe even attempt enjoying it.

But my leg hurts like hell and Bruce just fell out of the Helicarrier. That's not mentioning my head, shoulder, or tail bone. Or emotional trauma, which is easily the worst thing affecting me.

I can't keep anything straight in my head anymore. Pepper has been so nice to me, even finding me a change of clothes and ordering takeout.

Of course, considering how tall she is, none of the clothes fit quite right. And I can't eat anything. And she has a plane to get on in 20 minutes. I can't imagine how patient she is, putting up with Tony as long as she has. Trusting him enough to let me stay the night at her house alone. She must be pretty great.

I took my position on a couch, wearing a blanket Pepper described as Tony's favorite for cuddling.

The view was truly spectacular out of these windows. Mountains and lakes don't impress me like they should. I've grown up around too many.

Seeing all of this commotion and life does impress me. It's something different and alive and amazing.

Mother of Thor. There is lightning in the sky.

I scrambled up from the couch, ignoring the pain of walking to the window, and tried to find the source. It was a straight shot from the tower, but I wasn't in any condition to be walking. Putting the nearest jacket on, I moved to the elevator.

I was, however, in good enough condition to borrow a motorcycle from Tony's garage and drive it there without a proper license. And to do it in record time.

_-x-_

*Thor*

A grassy field isn't the worst place I could've landed. It doesn't make that much sense, though, considering where the Helicarrier was stationed.

I looked up at the sky and saw a group of towering skyscrapers. Manhattan. Right. Now I just need to find Mjolnir.

I checked around my feet and made a little circle, still not seeing the thing. Around a larger circle, I finally found it.

One experimental swing and a bit of lightning later, I was regretting taking on Bruce like I did. My back was hurting for the first time in years.

I started walking towards civilization, deciding it would be a good place to start the inevitable search for Loki.

A motorcycle –as those humans call it – parked on the side of the road a hundred yards away from me. The passenger was almost running in my direction, though they were favoring a leg.

Lily?

_-x-_

*Lily*

I parked the bike and ran at the giant blonde in front of me. My leg screamed against it, but I didn't care.

He looked puzzled at first, not knowing who I was, but when he realized it, he came running at me too.

We crashed and entered a hug where my head ended up somewhere only slightly higher than his belly. Curse my height.

"THOR! God, I missed you."

"Why are you here? You should be getting stitches."

"They didn't think I needed them, and Nat and Clint hijacked a helicopter and flew me to Tony's tower."

Thor nodded, unsatisfied with the lack of stitches.

"I swear I'm not being rude, but we really need to find Bruce."

"I agree with you. He couldn't be far from where I landed."

We walked down the strip of grass a ways, passing a big glass cell. I shuddered at that. How on Asgard did he get out of that thing?

Right when I didn't think my leg could take anymore, we had a change of scenery. There were warehouses, storage buildings, and a whole lot of birds.

"Imagine falling onto one of those," Thor said with a low whistle.

That might not be farfetched, considering there's someone walking out of the building closest to us.

Bruce. That was easy.

He saw us, and seconds later, he was running. I was hobbling, if you could even call it that.

He picked me up, making up for the height difference. I can't imagine how left out Thor is feeling right now.

"You're okay? You didn't get hurt?" he asked, putting me down and laying his hands on the sides of my arms.

How I wish I didn't get hurt. How I wish I could walk like a normal person right now. "Well, there's this," I said, gesturing to my right leg.

He brushed a hand over the bandage carefully, "Was that from me?" he asked, his voice ready to crack.

"No," I said quickly, "It's from Loki. He… stabbed me." Oh God. Bad word choice.

His eyes are turning green.

"Could be worse, right?" I attempted cheering him up, and it might've helped a little, but he still looked pissed off beyond measure. "You're okay?"

"I'm a lot better now," he smiled, "Hi Thor."

"Hi."

"Why aren't you two on the Carrier?" he asked, turning to me.

"Thor fell out of it, and Tony is letting me stay at the Tower," I said quickly.

"Did you hurt your back?" he asked Thor, who grunted painfully in response. "Two patients then," he smiled.

"Where did I park, Thor?" I asked him. My sense of direction was failing me rapidly.

"Follow me," he said, walking up the hill.

Bruce and I fell into step behind him.

"Park?" he questioned.

"I stole a motorcycle. Kind of."

Finally, we reached the road and I had to stop there.

God, I'm getting dizzy.

"Are you okay?" Bruce asked, sensing my loss of balance and holding my arm.

"Well…," I started without conviction.

He laid the back of his hand on my forehead, "You're hot."

"Thank you…," I blushed, which goes without saying at this point. Thor was ready to burst out in laughter, but he knew better than that. Thor is a genius after all.

He smiled, "You're welcome," he reached into my jacket pocket and dug out the keys to the motorcycle, taking them proudly. "I'm driving."

"I'm flying, you know, if you would like a better ride," Thor teased, winking his pretty little eyes.

I smiled, "What's the safety rating on your hammer?"

He only smiled, swinging his weapon in a circle and taking off. Yeah, I don't think the safety rating is quite high enough for me.

_-x-_

*Bruce*

Once inside Stark Tower, I reverted into full on Doctor mode, locating Tony's first aid kit, and a larger box that read "Second Aid Kit" in sharpie marker.

"Okay, just sit down here," I said slowly, moving Lily to a chair.

She sat there; almost ready to fall asleep it looked like. Depending on this wound, now might not be a good time for her to sleep.

"Stay awake with me," I said, waking her up from a daydream. She smiled a weak and painful smile.

I peeled off the top layer of gauze and saw blood seeping through.

"Okay, can you look up for a minute?" I asked, trying to find a way to divert her eyes from her leg. I needed something to divert my own eyes from her leg, the way things were looking.

She stared up at the ceiling.

"Does that hurt?"

"Does what hurt?"

"Looking up."

She paused, "Everything kind of hurts."

I bit my lip, trying to ignore that statement. If I acknowledged how much pain Lily was really in right now, I just don't know what would happen.

I pulled off the last layer of bandage and took a breath through clenched teeth. You don't get wounds like this from blades.

"What is it?" Lily asked, still looking up at the ceiling.

"It's nothing," I said quickly, "Just a little worse than I thought it would be."

Lily whined under her breath, making me regret that statement. It was true though, and a bit of an understatement. It was infected. Very infected, in fact. For a wound inflicted only a few hours ago and treated so quickly, it was suspiciously infected.

A mark from a needle was visible too, probably from painkillers. "Did you see them give you a shot?"

"I didn't look," she said, moving her gaze back up to the ceiling.

"It's probably anesthesia, which explains the dizziness you had going on outside. Everything still hurts though, right?"

She swallowed, "Right."

Not good. This means, not only am I going to have to find her another shot by morning, but she's in enough pain that a full shot of numbing medication doesn't help enough to make a difference.

And this rash around the cut, how did it happen? "You haven't been like… rubbing up on trees, have you?"

"Do I ask why you need to know that?" she smiled.

"You've got a rash around the cut. Poison Oak, it looks like," I said slowly, hoping not to overwhelm her.

"How?" she asked, getting overwhelmed, just like I feared.

"It looks kind of intentional. Who was the doctor?"

"The same one from yesterday," she swallowed.

Figures. A phone call to SHIELD headquarters will be made in the near future. I covered the rash with and anti-itch cream and redressed Lily's leg with clean gauze.

"Okay then, you're allowed to sleep now," I smiled, helping her up and leading her down the hallway with the guest rooms.

After helping her put the toothpaste on the brush, which apparently burned her mouth, she was ready to sleep all of this medicine off.

I pulled down the covers and helped her in, making sure she wasn't laying on her right side. Poison Oak or not, Lily would be okay for tonight, and hopefully every other night to come.

"Goodnight, Lily," I said, barely kissing her forehead. I smoothed out a bump in the covers and started for the door.

"No," she mumbled into the side of her pillow. "Stay."

_-x-_

*Lily*

Knowing how many drugs were going through my body at this point, I don't know if those words were my own. Of course, they were dug out of somewhere in my subconscious. The somewhere that's madly in love with Bruce.

I started panicking, thinking of something to say, something to make it sound like I was joking. What is he thinking? What am I thinking? My head is spinning around and around.

"Are you sure?" he said slowly, making my heart flip upside down. That reply was too ambiguous for its own good.

No, I'm not sure. I'm drugged, having an allergic reaction to a tree, and well… stabbed. I'm not sure of anything right now. This is the part where I say no, maybe where I cry myself to sleep, too.

No. Say No.

"Yeah," I said steadily, "Until I'm asleep."

Damn you anesthesia, damn you poison oak, and damn you Loki. My head is not my own.

A minute later, he pulled down the sheets and got inside, barely stealing any of the covers from me. There was a good bit of distance between us, but it was necessary, right? It wasn't helping one bit of the awkwardness in this situation, though.

Is this the part where I fall asleep? Yeah, I think so. I better start sleeping at some point. But that dreaded part of my subconscious doesn't want me to fall asleep.

Why? Because then Bruce will leave. I said that he should, and he's not about to go against what I say. He's too Bruce for that.

Just… God. Why did I ask him to stay? I can sleep by myself, horrendous physical condition or not. I don't need to be watched, even by someone as sweet as him.

It's just the space, I decided, that's driving me insane. It's the space that's making me doubt everything that's happened up until now. Weren't we kissing earlier today? Better believe it. He called me hot, even if he was talking about my fever. Why did we need space?

In all of this silent speculation, I hadn't looked at Bruce. He was the last thing I wanted to look at in this room right now, considering my blushing tendencies. The room was dark, but we were in New York City. There was no chance of having anything completely dark with all of the lights going on outside.

There was enough light to see his face. The perfect amount, I'd say. He looked quite a bit like how I was picturing myself in this moment. Tired, worried - much more attractive than what I looked like right now, of course. What did he think of all this space between us?

He lifted up an arm and said in a whisper, "Come here."

So that's what he thinks about it.

I wasted no time in scooting in and burying my head into his chest. God, he's warm. Like that, the tension was gone, and every bit of uncomfortable was so far away now.

He put an arm around my waist and rubbed little circles into my back, using the other hand to play with my hair.

This is the perfect way to sleep, and the perfect way to recover.

I just hope he forgets to leave once I'm asleep.

_-x-_

Notes

Are you dying of cuteness yet? I am. Angst? Totally. ANTICIPATION FOR NEXT CHAPTER? GRAHHH.

This is the longest chapter in Mobile Barista history, and possibly my favorite ending to a chapter, ever *flail*. Next one will lead up to the beginning of the big throw down, and will be very, very interesting, I do believe.

Until then,

_-Maddie-_


	20. Carried

Planning this chapter has been the source of a lot of headaches, and given that little TBI I have going on here, this story could be qualified as unhealthy for me. Seriously, I'm losing sleep. And I can barely sleep anyway. I'm talking, staying up ALL night unintentionally.

Complaining aside, I love this chapter. I had to cuddle a milk carton to stop the flailing. It was really freaking cold. Asdfghkl.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. *Insert little one liner in the disclaimer that I doubt anyone ever notices*.

_-x-_

Day 17

She walks in, her feet are shuffling. She's nervous, and for a good reason.

Lily Coulson, her nametag reads, and she's without a doubt related to the agent. The cheekbones are completely undeniable. And adorable.

"Hello, my dear."

Her heart rate doubles. "Hello, Loki. Could you please sit on your bed so I can get you your food?" she says quickly, her words jumbled.

"As you wish," I roll out, sitting on my bed.

She walks in and sets down the tray, getting back out as soon as possible.

I stood back up, waiting for her to say something to the effect of goodbye. Nothing.

"Well, my goodness. You don't even talk to me. You just walk off without a word."

She stops, spinning around to face me. "Oh, Loki. We'll be seeing each other three times a day. You'll be sick of me in no time."

She opened the doors and slipped out without another word. I smiled to myself.

What an interesting specimen.

X

My hands meet her temples, while she stands there, completely still.

I can see all of it. Everything. So much of it is running past me, streaming through my mind, and flashing before my lids. It's all there.

She hits the ground.

It feels like I'm falling now, but there's water, all around me. The water is cold.

I gasped, sucking in as much air as I could. More air, I need more air. I'm drowning.

"Lily?"

Reality. In bed. Stark Tower. Bruce.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting up and laying both of his hands on my cheeks. My head was pounding, and my breathing was ridiculous.

Wrong? I don't know what's wrong. Is something wrong? Bruce is entirely too close for me to be thinking clearly.

"I… I just…," my eyes started watering up.

His features softened for a second, and instead of pressing on and making me talk about it, he let the room fall silent.

I blinked, trying to absorb the tears, but only making the situation worse. A droplet rolled down my cheek and landed on his hand. He looked at his hand and back at me.

Without a word, he pulled me into his lap and wrapped both arms around me. I leaned into him and cried on his shoulder.

I guess it's safe to say that I've been inside of Loki's head now. Involuntarily, yes. But nonetheless, I've seen it.

Does this make me Loki's number one target? Probably. Does this mean my days are seriously numbered? Probably.

I don't want to die, not now. Things are going my way, finally. After all of these years, my life is working. My internship is almost over, even if I'm not exactly working right now. I have a spectacular job in line. And friends. I have friends I actually enjoy being with.

Then Loki searches my head, and apparently lets me search his. That's all it takes to turn it upside down. God forbid my life be enjoyable.

How do I fix it? How do I make things better? I don't. I wait for Loki to take his revenge.

I can't solve anything, hence crying into Bruce's shoulder for twenty minutes. Thank God for him.

He isn't gone yet. He didn't leave once I fell asleep. He stayed. He freaking stayed.

The tears stopped flowing freely, and even started to subside. He's still here, I'm still here. We're okay, bad dreams or not.

"You stayed," I mumbled into his shoulder.

He laughed, "I take it you're okay with that?"

I pulled my head out and nodded.

"I can't stand it when you cry," he whispered, tucking a stray curl behind my ear. Rush of blood to the cheeks.

I smiled for a moment, trying not to think of the most significant incidence coming to mind. Namely, when he kissed me. I was about to cry then. And when he complemented my hair, I was on the edge of a breakdown.

When I cry in front of Bruce, it ends well, to say the least.

"You're burning up," he said suddenly, testing my forehead with the back of his hand.

Oh, of course. I forgot. High grade infection and allergic reaction, how am I supposed to remember that?

He sat up further in the bed and went to work checking on my leg. With the first layer of gauze removed, I could see blood already.

"Look up for me?" he asked gently.

How do you say no to that? Freaking how? Even if I do want to see how horrible my leg looks, I can't say no to that, at all.

His reaction to the wound was audible, to say the least.

"Worse?" I asked nervously, still not looking at my leg.

"Well, the rash is much better, but the infection's a little bit… worse," he explained slowly, obviously understating how much worse the infection was.

"Great," I said, ready to start crying again. "The Second Aid Kit is in the living room, isn't it?" I swallowed.

"That's where I left it," he said with a weak smile. I smiled at him briefly, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. I shifted all of my weight onto the good leg.

"There's no way I'm gonna let you walk like this," Bruce said, already standing in front of me.

"Well… I don't want to stay in bed all day," I pouted, reluctantly agreeing with the no walking rule.

Bruce pondered the thought for a moment. "Okay then," he said, putting an arm around my shoulders and using the other to support my knees, "I'll carry you."

Spectacular. I think I need to blush more today.

He lifted me up in a swift motion and walked towards the door. I tried to ignore how easily he was carrying me; my cheeks were hot enough already, not thinking of his general "muscularnicity".

Bruce set me down on a couch and handed me Tony's favorite blanket while he scanned the room for the medical kit. This blanket is amazing. Soft, warm, yellow. Tony has good taste in blankets.

Bruce mumbled something about antibiotics and walked off in the direction of the kitchen, and most likely the pill cabinet.

I looked around the room - my goodness, I'm not alone in here. "Good morning, Thor," I called over to the God, who was passed out on the couch opposite mine. His face was smushed into the pillow, making for a truly hilarious sight.

"Mrrragh," he sat up, ignoring the drool on his pillow.

"Sleep like a God?"

"Daughter of Coul, what is the time?" he asked, ignoring my question.

"Ask Bruce," I mumbled, put off with his lack of usual friendliness. Granted he slept on a couch half his size. That would make me grumpy too.

Thor got up and walked towards the kitchen to question Bruce on the time.

To be fair, he asked a good question. He has a thing for sleeping in, but I usually don't. I have those blasted SHIELD alarm clocks to blame for that.

Judging by the view from the window, it looked to be sometime around noon. Maybe. I'm too used to Colorado to judge New York time.

In due time, Bruce walked in, two pills and a glass of water in hand. Glass of water. Water.

I swallowed the pills and resumed my position of looking up while Bruce treated my leg. I've already counted the ceiling tiles twice.

He cleaned off the wound and even considered stitching it up right then and there. Without the right medicines, sterile needles, and considering the time that's passed, it wouldn't be worth it.

This isn't fair to Bruce, I decided. Him being as amazingly sweet as he is, and me making him worry. Keeping him out of my mental loop is just wrong; he deserves to know that I'm going insane.

"I drowned," I said abruptly, still looking up at the ceiling.

"You what?" he asked, stopping the wrapping process.

"I had a dream last night, and I drowned," I swallowed.

Bruce looked stunned, worried, pained. So many feelings. "That's why you couldn't breathe when you woke up, isn't it?"

I nodded. So I didn't wake him up with my outburst, he was already up by then. He definitely could've left earlier then, if he wanted. I'm so ridiculously glad he chose not to.

After another minute of mixed emotions, Bruce resumed wrapping my leg.

Despite making him worry, that was a good move, I decided. Now he's not in the dark on the seriousness of my situation. Even if I haven't told him about the Loki dreams, he knows there's something wrong.

He sighed, "Hungry?"

"Yeah," I smiled, trying not to be alarmed by how quickly I was picked up and carried to the kitchen.

Bruce and his muscularnicity.

_-x-_

"THESE APPLIANCES MAKE ME PROUD," Thor boomed, satisfied with how quickly his toast was toasted.

Yes, Stark Tower was outfitted with some badass appliances. My eggs were poached in record time, and they tasted incredible. I guess that's Bruce to thank, not the appliances.

Thor was channeling Paula Deen with his toast buttering methods, using half the tub on one piece. I didn't stop him from it, though I made sure not to let him butter mine.

Two eggs and three pieces of toast later, I was full, and feeling gross because of it. Thor was in 7 pieces of toast and a full carton of eggs.

Thor was also laying on the floor.

"My hair feels disgusting," I mumbled, running a greasy curl through my fingers.

"It looks fantastic," Bruce smiled between bites.

"It needs washed," I said slowly.

"Does it?"

"Yes. My hair needs to be washed."

"That's an opinion."

"My opinion."

"Your opinion."

Pause.

"Will you carry me to the shower now?"

_-x-_

I watched the water collect in the tub and tried not to think about my dream. It felt so ridiculously real.

And you aren't supposed to feel things in dreams. Was it a dream at all?

Cursing my thought process, I shut the water off and stepped out of the shower, only using one leg at a time.

Pepper's pants look hilariously long on me, so I've been reduced to wearing her shorts. The normal fitting ones are tight on me, because the woman is a freaking rail. Size 2? Hell no. Short bodies are curved, all day every day.

The loosest pair worked reasonably well, though I'm sure these look ruffled when she wears them.

As far as tops go, the one flannel shirt in her closet reminds me too much of home to refuse.

I let my wet hair down from the towel and combed it out with my fingers. Tangles, tangles, tangles. How Bruce finds this mess fantastic confuses me to no end.

I would be like Clint and say something like "Speak of the Devil", but Bruce is so incredibly un-Devil-like, I wouldn't be able to say that.

"Lily?" he said urgently, knocking on my door.

"Yeah?" I called, worried by the tone of his voice.

He busted through, breathing a sigh of relief upon seeing me. "Whew, God. You're okay."

"Why would I not be okay?" I smiled.

"Just, the shower water. With the dream, and everything…," he tried to explain without embarrassing himself.

"Oh. I'm fine," I said, scratching the back of my neck. I'm lying to him again.

"Good," he said awkwardly, starting to close the door.

"Bruce?" I called to him before the door was fully closed.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for worrying about that," I started. "And for the eggs, and carrying me around everywhere, and treating my leg, and staying last night, and… yeah. Thanks for everything," I finished lamely, turning my gaze to the floor.

In my peripheral vision, he was smiling. "You're welcome… for everything."

Pause.

"Can we hug now?" he asked with a dead serious face.

I laughed, "You still don't have to ask."

He smiled, walking over and putting his head on top of mine, arms around my waist. He swayed from side to side, in a slow rhythm.

From here I could hear his heartbeat, and eventually, I heard it slow down to normal. It was usually pretty fast, from my experience.

Knowing I helped calm him down… well… it made me blush.

He certainly did have a combination of effects on me; one minute making my heart rate go through the roof, the next making me feel so composed, even when I'm a complete mess.

We work quite well for each other, actually.

"Thor's making broccoli salad for you," he mumbled into the top of my head.

"Are they married yet?" I laughed.

"He's waiting for you to do that. He's not a vegetable priest."

_-x-_

My phone rattled against the countertop next to Bruce. He picked it up and read through a text with a confused expression. I finished up my broccoli salad, which Thor did an excellent job on, and wondered who was texting me.

He typed a reply.

When the phone vibrated again, he shot up from his chair.

"Lily, I need to hide you," he said, already moving to pick me up again. Hold on, hide me?

"Why?" I whimpered. My head started pounding again while he carried me out of the living room.

"He's coming."

The look in his eyes told me exactly who was coming. Why this soon? My head started spinning.

"Just stay calm, okay?" he said, stepping into the elevator and elbowing a button I couldn't see from this angle.

"Where am I hiding?" I asked him, trying not to panic.

"The basement has the best security, so you're going there."

"Where are you going?" I asked, not wanting him to leave.

"I have to help them," he said, making a point not to look me in the eye.

The elevator door opened finally, and we walked out into what could only be described as Tony's lab. Or his playground. Toy box, maybe?

He set me down within reach of a chair, knowing I'll be hanging out in here for a while.

"Be safe," he said, kissing my forehead.

I moved a hand to his neck, gently pulling him down to my level.

"You be safe, too."

In the exact same moment, we moved in for a kiss.

Or two.

Maybe Three.

Sixteen.

Just lost count.

"Banner, we must make hast-," Thor called from the elevator, until he saw us. Then he turned around and kicked an imaginary rock.

We continued, to say the least, until we could both feel the sheer awkwardness radiating off of Thor.

Then we stopped. "I could've done this earlier," he smirked.

"Days ago," I smiled up at him.

With a second kiss to the forehead, he pulled his arms from around my waist and ran off to join Thor, who was blushing.

Who am I to talk, though? My cheeks have a fever of their own.

And I can't help but feeling that I'm not going to be working at SHIELD in the future after all.

_-x-_

Notes

Hey, Thor is satisfied with the appliances and Bruce and Lily kissed again. All is right with the world? NOT FOR LONG.

I dearly hope you've enjoyed this chapter, even if it was majorly on the short side. And can I just say this right here: 800 reviews and over 500 followers. Never, ever, in my wildest dreams could this have ever happened. AND SOMEONE ACTUALLY GOT THE RUGRATS REFERENCE FROM LAST CHAPTER.

LIFE= COMPLETE.

Just kidding, my life was completed when I saw Mark Ruffalo on Sesame Street.

Catch you on the flip side,

_-Maddie-_


	21. Carrying

Another adorable one. Hope you guys aren't fluffed out right now from last chapter, because I'm keeping the mushiness coming. This chapter starts at the beginning of last chapter, but is told by the extremely cuddly Bruce. Not much happens here, but we bring situations and emotions full circle. And I felt like that needed to happen.

I'm glad some of you got to see that adorable Sesame Street video, and I hope you giggled half as much as I did. "I LOVED that teddy bear."

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. She's athsleeep agaaain.

_-x-_

*Bruce*

Waking up is never this perfect for me. I tried hard not to think about how long it's been since the last morning like this. But really, I don't know if there ever was one.

Lily curled up against me, curly hair tickling my face, a hand on my chest.

And, well… I stayed. How could I not? Judging by the look on Lily's face last night, she was extremely embarrassed by this entire situation.

She didn't need to feel that way, though. I like her a whole lot. She seems to like me a comparable amount. We're good with cuddling, right?

It's a bit too late to consider leaving, judging by the sunlight coming through the window. There's no going back.

Especially with all of this adorable sleeping on me.

I could feel her body tense next to mine, and her heart started speeding up. I looked down at her new level of pale and sighed. The lack of health going on with Lily is driving me insane; knowing she deserves better than this.

Her breathing was sporadic and her heart was pounding. I listened in to the breaths she took until I didn't have anything to listen to. She wasn't breathing at all.

"Lily?" I whispered, feeling my own heart pick up speed.

She shot up in the bed, gasping for air and clutching the sheets. All of the calm involved with waking up was gone and replaced with panic.

"What's wrong?" I questioned, sitting up further and taking her face into my hands. She was completely petrified. Her hands were shaking.

"I… I just…," she tried, her eyes filling up.

God, no. I can't watch her cry like this. I'll cry. Frantically searching for something to say or do, a tear rolled down her cheek and onto my hand.

So I did the most logical thing I could think of. Hugging her.

I pulled her into my lap and started rubbing the hell out of her back. She laid her head on my shoulder and let out a round of tears.

What's happening to her? Something a bit more intense than being stabbed, I'm gathering. I'd love for her to tell me. I'd love being trusted with something as deep as this. But I'm prepared to wait.

Loki must know, considering that it's probably his fault, and I can't help but be a little jealous of him at this point, him knowing everything about her that I don't.

I'm sure there are things I wouldn't enjoy learning about, hearing the brief explanation of her parents, but I couldn't say anything different about myself. She probably wouldn't enjoy figuring too much of me out, for all of my horrible past.

She stopped crying after a few minutes, and her heart was now beating a normal rate.

"You stayed," she mumbled with a slight amount of disbelief in her voice.

"I take it you're okay with that?" I laughed quietly, slowing down the back rub.

She pulled her head out of my shoulder and nodded.

Good job there Bruce, right decision made.

"I can't stand it when you cry," I murmured, tucking a curl that landed on her nose behind her ear. She smiled and blushed the littlest bit.

Lily went into a little bit of a daydream, one that made her blush a little bit more. I wonder if she's thinking of the last time she cried in front of me. That is, well… a blush inducing thought.

Let's change the subject here. Maybe the fact that she feels like a space heater is a good place to start.

"You're burning up," I said while feeling her forehead with the back of my hand. She was at least a few degrees hotter than yesterday, and she was pretty hot then. This can only mean the infection hasn't gotten any better, and probably much worse. Time to check on that leg.

I lifted her leg as gently as possible and started unwrapping the gauze. Again, there was blood coming through the bottom layer.

"Look up for me?" I asked her gently. She looked up at the ceiling and counted the tiles, based on the numbers she barely mouthed. God, she's cute.

This leg. I can barely look at it anymore. It's swollen, inflamed, and it hasn't even began healing. And it absolutely kills me to know I could've done this – and worse- just as easily as Loki. I don't know if she saw the other guy, or if he saw her for that matter. I can't help but think I'd be treating more than a stab wound if they did meet.

"Worse?" she asked, noticing my upset expression.

Let's focus on the positive here. "Well, the rash is much better," I started confidently, "but the infection's a little bit… worse."

"Great," her voice cracked, "The Second Aid kit is in the kitchen, isn't it?" And she's about to cry again.

"That's where I left it," I smiled weakly, now wishing I'd brought it in here.

She gave me a queasy smile and swung her legs off the edge of the bed, using me as a support. She put all of her weight on the good leg and almost lost her balance.

"There's no way I'm gonna let you walk like this," I stood up in front of her, blocking her path. The protective side of me did a flip.

She bit her lip in thought, "Well… I don't want to stay in bed all day."

Hmm. Good point has been made by the short sicken barista. Then how am I getting her into the living room?

"Okay then," I whispered, "I'll carry you," I put an arm around her shoulders and another under her knees, and carried her out into the living room.

Her cheeks turned unnaturally red. But to be fair, I was carrying her bridal style. And implying things like that will cause most people to blush.

I set her down on the unoccupied couch, with the other housing a sleeping Thor. The Second Aid kit was found under Tony's blanket, which I gave to Lily. She wrapped up in it within seconds and stopped shaking shortly after.

Looking at that leg, I knew that cleaning and antibacterial cream wouldn't be helping her much at all. So I searched the pill cabinet for antibiotics, finding things I hoped to never see inside in the process.

"Banner, what is the time?" a groggy Thor asked me, not seeing the clock on the oven.

"10:47, Thor."

He grunted and mumbled something about breakfast, instantly pulling out bread from the pantry and inspecting the toaster.

I finally found the pills, located behind a medicine I REFUSE to acknowledge. Against my better judgment, I left Thor alone in the kitchen to help Lily. I could deal with the consequences later.

She swallowed the pills quickly and with barely any water. I know an experienced pill swallower when I see one, and Lily seemed to know what she was doing. Another part of her past I could learn.

How can I help her now, other than just waiting for the antibiotics to take effect? There aren't sterile needles to stitch her up with, and even if there were, I wouldn't without something to knock her out completely.

I'm good with these things normally; I've sewed up worse without any kind of medicine at all. But now it's Lily, and that alone is making this impossible. Completely defeated, I cleaned it off and started wrapping again.

"I drowned," Lily said abruptly.

"You what?" I asked, dropping the gauze on the floor.

"I had a dream last night, and I drowned," she said, turning her head over to look at me.

It's safe to say that my heart rate doubled in that moment. Thinking of Lily drowning, just… it doesn't work. I can't even try that. I don't want to believe that could ever happen at all.

It does, however, explain the gasping that scared the hell out of me this morning.

"That's why you couldn't breathe when you woke up, isn't it?"

She swallowed and nodded.

Too bad we're in Manhattan, which is pretty well surrounded with water.

I picked the gauze back up and finished wrapping the now clean wound, still shook up by the thought of Lily drowning.

"Hungry?" I asked, hearing a little rumble from her stomach.

She smiled weakly, "Yeah."

I scooped her up, blanket and all, and headed for the kitchen to make her breakfast. I didn't have to look down to know she was blushing.

_-x-_

"THESE APPLIANCES MAKE ME PROUD."

Thor could get by pretty well in this place, I have a feeling. He wouldn't have to step on any toasters or "modify" the Kitchen-Aid.

And Lily liked my eggs. Score.

"My hair feels disgusting," she mumbled while pulling on a slightly oily curl.

Disgusting? Never. Her hair is completely beautiful. "It looks fantastic," I smiled.

She smiled back, "It needs washed."

"Does it need washed?"

"Yes, my hair needs washed."

"That's an opinion," I countered.

"My opinion," she rolled her eyes a little bit, put off by my intentionally difficult behavior.

"Your opinion."

"Can you carry me to the shower now?"

I grinned, putting our plates in the sink and moving over to carry Lily to a shower.

_-x-_

After explaining to Lily the importance of not washing her leg, getting towels, and finding extra shampoo for the extra huge amount of hair on her head, I left her to shower alone.

"Thor?" I asked the passed out man on the floor, hoping he wasn't comatose.

"Mrrnagh."

I sighed, gently kicking his side. "Laying like that will make you feel worse," I lied, wanting an excuse to talk to him.

He grumbled a few minutes more before sitting on a bar stool at the island of the kitchen. His stomach was bigger than usual, considering how much he just ate.

"Try coffee. It'll settle your stomach," I lied again, looking down at the newspaper on the counter and seeing nothing worth reading.

He got up, found the beans and filters, and filled the pot to the brim. I silently wondered how much he plans on drinking.

On the subject of coffee, I guess now would be a better time to ask than ever, considering how little time I spend away from Lily.

"Thor, did she… see me?"

Thor stopped the process of scooping the beans. "She sees you every day," he swallowed.

Now he's going back to the stupid act, and making this harder for me as a result.

"Did she see… him?"

He paused, letting me prepare myself for the very worst. "She saw him."

I swallowed, trying to take this in. "Did he hurt her?"

"No."

"Did he try?"

"No."

"Can you respond with more than one word?"

Thor smiled and turned to face me, "He stopped beating me and just stared at her."

Well. I can't blame myself for staring, considering how easy she can be to stare at. But stopping me from beating up Thor, that's different. It takes a serious distraction to stop the Hulk from smashing.

"What did she do?"

Thor chuckled, "She tried to touch his hand."

What? She didn't run away? She didn't scream? Well, considering it is Lily, I would've expected a less blatant way of being afraid. She would've stayed calm and waited until I was done, and then gotten as far away as possible.

But she didn't.

Thor was in the refrigerator now, pulling out broccoli and mayonnaise. "He would have let her touch his hand, too."

Okay then. This makes her officially amazing.

I need to hug her now. We haven't hugged in a full three hours.

She is taking quite long with that shower, which is a bit troubling. I hope she's okay, though showers tend to be pretty safe.

Other than the risk of drowning.

Drowning.

I accidentally shoved the bar stool down and ran down the hallway, headed towards the room she, or we, slept in.

Regardless of the panic, I knew she could be indecent, so I knocked. "Lily?"

"Yeah?" she answered. I almost knocked the door down, to her dismay.

There she was, breathing, fully dressed, and combing her beautiful hair.

"Whew, God. You're okay," I let out the breath I'd been holding.

"Why would I not be okay?" she smiled, finding my protective nature cute. Most people do; I'm aware.

"Just the shower water. With the dream, and everything..." I mustered, suddenly finding this whole situation a little bit pointless. The chances of drowning in a shower are slim.

"Oh. I'm fine," she scratched the back of her neck and being awkward and embarrassed by my worrying, like always.

I should leave before I make this situation any more uncomfortable than it already is.

"Good," I smiled awkwardly, starting to close the door to the room.

"Bruce?" she called right before the door was closed.

I opened it up all the way, "Yeah?"

"Thanks for worrying about that," she started, "And for the eggs, and carrying me around everywhere, and treating my leg, and staying last night, and… yeah. Thanks for everything."

I paused for a minute, drinking in what she just said. "You're welcome… for everything."

And thank you for not shitting yourself when you saw my alter ego, I silently added.

Her cheeks were bright red and her eyes were glued to the floor. How that much cute can fit into one person is completely beyond me.

"Can we hug now?"

She giggled, "You still don't have to ask."

I walked over and wrapped both arms around her as tight as possible, swaying from side to side. There's actually someone in this world that isn't terrified of me.

It's just my luck that she's smart, funny, adorable, and apparently enjoys hugging me.

"Thor's making broccoli salad for you," I murmured against the top of her head.

"Are they married yet?" she laughed.

"He's waiting for you to do that. He's not a vegetable priest."

Yeah. She's pretty cute.

_-x-_

Lily's phone rattled against the table. She looked up, but didn't seem to have any intentions of answering it. I picked it up and tapped the screen, lighting it up.

New Message from Tony

**Hide her. Now.**

I swallowed, feeling my heart rate go up knowing what was next.

**What am I hiding her from?**

**Loki, of course. Btw, there is a possessed scientist on the roof ready to unleash an Asgardian army. We could use your help out here.**

I tossed Thor the phone to bring him up to speed and moved over to Lily.

"Lily, I need to hide you," I said, preparing to pick her up.

"Why?" she asked, holding onto my shirt. I kicked the Second Aid kit out of the way, trying to ignore how bad of a feeling I had in my gut right now.

I swallowed, "He's coming."

A little bit of fear, maybe panic, showed in her eyes. If she starts crying right now, I cannot be held responsible for my actions.

"Just stay calm, okay?" I whispered, nudging the elevator button with my elbow.

"Where am I hiding?" she asked, still holding on to my shirt and not staying calm at all.

"The basement has the best security, so you're going there," I said gently, trying not to emphasize the 'you're'.

"Where are you going?" she whispered, the most adorably innocent look in her eyes.

"I have to help them," I said finally, wishing I could eat those words and stay with her.

Do they really need me? Would I make a difference? Of course I would. I'd probably do a lot of good by going out there.

But if Loki hurts her at all, in any way, for any reason, I honestly don't know what will happen. I don't know what will happen to me, to him, to her. It's all up in the air.

And to think I could take away all of those variables by just staying with her. It makes me feel horrible beyond measure.

I put Lily down next to a chair and a desk to hide under, if need be.

"Stay safe," I said, kissing her forehead even when she's not about to sleep.

She put a hand on my neck and took a half step forward. "You stay safe too."

I got that feeling in my stomach. You know how it is. When it all just flips and turns in the best way possible. I leaned forward-

And then we kissed.

The worry wasn't quite happening anymore in this moment. It was pretty far gone to be exact, and replaced by emotions I refuse to name.

Emotions I haven't felt in years I refuse to count.

"Banner, we must make hast-"

She pondered backing away for a moment, I could feel it plainly.

Just, no. This isn't ending just because Thor decided to be awkward. I pulled her closer and resumed the former activities.

But when we finally break away, the moment is over and the worry is back. Regardless of how perfect that just felt. And the number of cloud I'm sitting on right now.

"I could've done that earlier," I smirked.

She smiled, "Days ago."

I pressed my lips to her forehead a second time and jogged to the elevator. Thor was standing there all pink-faced and what not, avoiding eye contact. He pushed the ground level button with an awkward cough.

"You okay?" I asked, just to make sure Thor wasn't mentally scarred by the images in his head.

"Verily," he said in a higher voice than usual, still refusing to look me in the eye.

I grinned.

"I'm doing pretty verily myself."

_-x-_

Notes

Awkward Thor, gotta love it. Protective Bruce, also, gotta love it. Next chapter will transition us into another scenario, as expected. This is a complicated battle coming up here, so the whole thing will take a good amount of chapters/POVs to describe. So hold on to your hats!

Thanks again sexy people,

_-Maddie-_


	22. Loki'd

Please excuse the ridiculously long wait; life's been crazy and I struggle with writing action. So this has been a problem chapter for me, and I do hope it's not that bad.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. Blah, blah, blah.

_-x-_

*Phil*

I woke up to a big fat ray of sunshine coming through my window and four texts from Fury.

**Coulson, will you be reporting in late this morning? (sent at 8:02)**

**If you plan on reporting in late, tell Agent Hill. (sent at 8:05)**

**If you're still sleeping, tell Agent Hill when you wake up. (8:09)**

**I take it you're sleeping. I'll tell Agent Hill. (8:16)**

And now it's already noon. Apparently my alarm clock never got set in the first place, and I don't know who to blame for that.

I reached onto my night stand for a mug of coffee, only to find they were all cold and grody. With a big rolling movement, I got out of bed and turned on the coffee pot. I had the machine set up for an emergency like this one.

Waiting for my daily fix to brew, I took a quick shower and got dressed for the day.

With a cup of coffee down, I moved onto my first order of business: Check on Lily. According to Stark, she's back from the medical bay. Hopefully they've given her stitches by now.

I stepped into the elevator, barely catching a glimpse of Steve running at me full force. Oh God, Steve is running at me at full force.

"PHIL!" he yelled, jumping to stop the elevator door from closing.

I blinked. A screaming Captain America is not to be dealt with when you only have 8 ounces of coffee in your system. And he totally just called me Phil. *Fanboy flail*

"Y-you just need to see this," Steve stammered, more flustered than I'd ever seen him.

I nodded slowly and followed him out of the elevator and down the hallway. We stopped at an open door; Tony's open door, to be exact.

Tony's room was intact with no damage from yesterday's excitement. I silently wondered why Steve was so worked up.

"It's the next story," he swallowed, nodding at the television.

The TV was on the regular channels, as opposed to the security cameras. A news show was playing, featuring a bean pole cake-faced woman with glittery lip gloss attempting to be professional.

"Furthermore, the unprecedented lightning storms are no cause for alarm." Tony was sitting on the bed watching videos on his phone, not paying attention to Steve's panic.

"And our next story is about Tony Stark's new lady, who was spotted leaving his tower yesterday wearing very skimpy clothing."

At this point, my eyes shot to the TV screen. The condescending news woman quirked an eyebrow, obviously jealous.

They cut to a photo of Lily, fully clothed, on a motorcycle riding towards - Holy shit.

"TONY! What the hell?!" I screamed, grabbing a pillow and chucking it at his head.

He batted away the pillow and held his hands up in defense. "We're not dating!" he assured me.

I rolled my eyes, "You said she was in her room!"

He gulped, turning his gaze to the floor. "She WAS in her room."

Steve was awkwardly standing in the corner, keeping away from any pillows I'd be liable to throw.

"Sources are yet to properly identify the girl, though our cameras caught her riding back to the tower an hour later with another handsome guy in tow."

I groaned. The next picture showed, as expected, Lily and Bruce riding on the motorcycle together. That just looks dangerous.

"She doesn't have a license for one of those," I grumbled, disappointed in the lack of safety going on among other things.

"Who is this loose woman, and how long have she and Tony been together? Now for the traffic reports,"

Tony giggled. "Loose woman."

Steve emerged from the corner and hit his arm lightly. Tony straightened out and pointed to his phone.

"She's perfectly safe, see?"

From the view of a Stark Tower security camera, Lily, Bruce, and Thor were peacefully eating a breakfast of eggs and toast. She was wrapped up in a blanket, but I could easily see the thick bandage on her leg.

Lily looks happy, I'll admit, but she has to be in pain by now. Anesthesia doesn't last forever.

"She doesn't have medics there," I said, picking out the one bad part of this situation I could find.

Tony scoffed, "She has Bruce! And your team poisoned her!"

"Poisoned?" I asked, horrified.

"Bruce said the doctor rubbed poison oak where Loki stabbed her, and didn't stitch her up when he should've," he pointed to his phone again.

I breathed in, ready to punch something. Poison oak isn't deadly, and Lily's had it before with all of the tree climbing in her past, but still.

"Congratulations, Phil. Your medical team has been Loki'd. Fury's on it, though."

Okay, it's not as bad as it could be. Bruce is a capable doctor. And definitely not a Loki minion.

Considering the things I saw in Lily's hospital room, he shouldn't be that bad at taking care of her. He should probably be pretty good at it. Maybe too good at it…

"Let me see the video."

"What?" Tony asked, his mouth hanging open slightly.

I sighed and took the phone from his hands, rewinding the camera to yesterday evening. With help from an uninterested Tony, I learned how to switch the rooms for optimum viewing. Or stalking. This could be called stalking.

I witnessed the first act of Peppers kindness, setting Lily up with a fantastic blanket and a gorgeous view of the city. Then she headed out to catch a plane, leaving the little one all alone in the tower.

"Tony, did you know Pepper was leaving?" I questioned. Steve tensed up, ready to deflect any flying objects.

"I was aware."

The heat of my glare went up a few thousand degrees.

"Just keep watching," he mumbled.

I begrudgingly did as he asked. More watching, more waiting. She seemed to just be sitting around all depressed and cringe-y like.

At one point, Lily got up from her seat and ran to the window, despite her leg. A minute later she was running to the elevator, ignoring her bare feet.

Tony's phone was an oddity, so I resolved for not switching cameras to the garage. It's too much work, and frankly, seeing Lily on a motorcycle scares the hell out of me.

"Skip ahead a little," Tony mumbled, put off by my lack of skill working his phone.

I just gave him a blank stare.

With an exaggerated eye roll, he took the phone and forwarded the tape about an hour.

And now Lily's sitting at the counter while Bruce inspects her leg. Steve started watching at this point, obviously interested in the lovebirds. If he's figured that out by now.

I heard the terms poison and infection at least twice a piece, and it made me shake. Lily looked to be shaking too.

With her leg cleaned up, she was ready to sleep. I'm glad to report that Stark Tower doesn't have cameras in their bathrooms. I regret to report that there are cameras in the bedrooms. They're good too. Gulp.

Finally, she was in bed (after a longer than usual forehead kiss) and Bruce was about to leave.

And there was a mumble.

And Bruce stopped leaving.

"I-I'm going," Steve announced, slowly backing away from the screen.

Tony hissed in protest. "Just watch."

The slightest bit of me (every fiber of my being) was relieved that the next scene was appropriate enough for Steve to see. Of course, I didn't expect any of that to start happening.

She could get… crushed.

Bruce was still just standing there, not breathing it looked like. Granted the three of us weren't breathing either.

Then he was getting in next to her, staying a good distance away, of course.

She turned beet freaking red. I could feel the awkward from watching the video.

Are they seriously going to sleep like that? It doesn't look comfortable.

God. Just cuddle already.

On cue, they pulled in towards each other, and all was right with the world.

Steve let out an involuntary, "Aww."

Tony giggled.

And I was just too giddy to contain myself.

Interrupting the impossibly sweet moment, the intercom boomed with Maria's voice. "Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Agents Coulson, Barton, and Romanoff to the bridge immediately. Repeat: Stark, Rogers, Coulson, Barton, and Romanoff to the bridge."

Way to kill the good feels, Maria.

Bitch.

_-x-_

*Tony*

"Loki is prepared to strike," Fury said once he was satisfied with the occupants of the room.

I sighed, mentally preparing myself for everything coming. Of course, I had no idea what was coming, so the mental preparation didn't do shit.

Steve, Phil, Clint and Natasha sighed with me, going through the same process, I imagine.

"We've got a hit on Selvic," Fury said, looking straight at me. "He's on top of your Tower."

"Any reason it had to be my tower?" I asked, knowing full well why it had to be my tower.

Fury deadpanned. "It's one of the tallest buildings in the city, it's directly connected to you- and therefore SHIELD, and our employee and two of your teammates are staying there."

I raised my eyebrows. "No argument there. Excuse the plane hi-jacking by the way, it was their idea," I smiled, nodding towards a scowling Natasha and a smirking Clint.

"Sir, we've found Loki," an overzealous agent shouted. I think she might be the one that eats whipped cream. "He's headed towards the tower."

Steve tensed up next to me, entering superhero mode.

"Gotta suit?" He put a hand on Clint's shoulder.

"Yeah," he nodded, smirking a little.

"Then suit up," he smiled. The assassins moved off to find some diabolical aircraft, I assume.

They're good with those things. I'd bet Lily didn't

I turned to Steve for a second. "Suit up?"

Steve shrugged, jogging off to catch up to Clint and Nat.

No modern references my ass.

_-x-_

*Thor*

Well. This could be the most uncomfortable elevator ride of my life. My cheeks are… hot.

This should not be this embarrassing. In fact, I am extremely relieved they have gotten… that… done; it took them long enough. We all would've spontaneously combusted if they waited any longer.

It certainly did not take me that long with Jane.

Jane…

Bruce sneezed.

The elevator dinged, letting us step out onto ground level. He moved to the garage, most likely to find the motorcycle.

Looking up through a window, I could barely see Tony in his suit. He landed on what looked like somewhere near the floor we occupied only a few minutes ago. Relief flooded through me; our timing was truly impeccable.

Upon finding the front door, I jogged out into the street and started looking up again. Tony did, in fact, land on our floor.

Considering that he just flew out of a window I recognized fogging up and drawing on with my fingers.

I flew Mjolnir up, disregarding the safety rating, or lack thereof.

_-x-_

*Tony*

When my tower came into view, I instantly knew that the cameras weren't lying. There was, in fact, a Doctor on my roof attempting to open a portal to another world.

"Shut it down, Dr. Selvic," I addressed the possessed man standing on my roof.

"It's too late! She can't stop now. She wants to show us something! A new universe…"

This guy, his brain is a bag of cats. God, I miss Bruce. "Okay."

I blasted the portal, only to have the damn thing reflect it.

JARVIS mumbled something I already knew about the barrier and alerted me of our visitor below. The visitor, as he put it, wasn't the welcome kind.

He stared me down (in a way I tried not to take as pervy) as I walked out of the suit.

Now face to face, and halfway equally prepared, we were ready to start.

"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity," Loki said finally.

"Uh- actually, I'm planning to threaten you," I said confidently, feeling a smile come on.

"You should've left your armor on for that."

"Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the…" my eyes flashed to the scepter, "blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink?" I asked kindly, moving to the bar.

"Stalling me won't change anything."

"No, no, no- threatening," I corrected, grabbing a bottle without looking at the label. "No drink? You sure? I'm having one."

"The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear?"

"The Avengers," I beamed. Loki only looked more confused. "It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' type thing."

"Yes, I've met them," he said, obviously unimpressed.

"Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one," I started to mumble, reaching for a bracelet.

"But let's do a head count here: your brother the demi-god; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you," I felt myself wanting to laugh at Loki's situation, "big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."

"That was the plan," he smirked. I see why Lily despises that smirk now.

"Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you."

"I have an army."

"We have a Hulk," I scoffed. And he literally wants to blow your brain out, I mentally added.

Loki quirked an eyebrow, aware of his standing with the other guy. "I thought the beast had wandered off…"

"Yeah- you're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you."

I took this moment to down the contents of my glass and walk up to the man in front of me. My confidence was starting to go off the charts.

"Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it."

A look flashed in Loki's eyes. It wasn't anything distinguishable, but it was significant to me.

"How will your friends have time for me, when they're so busy fighting each other?"

Loki's scepter clinked against my arc reactor. He looked down at my chest, puzzled.

"This usually works."

"Well, performance issues. You know?" I smirked, hoping it was half as infuriating as his.

Loki grabbed my throat and threw me at the window, obviously put off by my smirking. Considering his general psychic nature, he now knows just how horrible that look really is.

I groaned as I smashed into the glass, feeling the shards pierce my arm. And I'm out the window.

"JARVIS, anytime now."

_-x-_

Notes

Thanks so much for all of the love and reviews, considering that they constantly make my days. Here's hoping I can get the next chapter out a little faster.

I changed/ added/ excluded some of the dialogue. Just keep in mind, this story doesn't exactly follow the movie perfectly. If you haven't caught wind of that by now (considering all the time they spent on the Helicarrier, the friendship going on, and the presence of Phil), well son, you've got a condition:)

Missed you guys,

_-Maddie-_


	23. Giving In

I think I should start apologizing now. Please excuse me for taking so freaking long. I've been having health problems, but I should be back to stay for a while. No more month long waiting periods, I assure you. I'm rusty, so forgive the general lack of quality.

Let's hope I get this up before Hurricane Sandy smacks down the power lines and I lose Wi-Fi:)

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. She's a basement dweller.

_-x-_

*Tony*

Falling like this didn't really feel as bad as it should have. It was almost a little bit calming, in an awkward way. The ground came closer, and closer, and closer, and BAM.

The suit latched on to my wrist and I was airborne. The bystanders gasped and backed away, but I could see how impressed they were. How could they not be? It's not every day you see Tony Stark falling out of the top floor of his tower.

But they didn't really stop with the gasping and the OMYGOD-ing. Maybe it was because Thor was on the top floor beating the crap out of his little brother.

I'd kill to have Thanksgiving dinner with that family.

But no, they kept on with their "Omygod", and "Holy Batman", and "Are those real aliens?". Idiot bystanders. Aliens? Really? Thor and Loki may be odd, but they don't look like aliens. They're pretty handsome, in fact.

Then the bystanders were running away and flailing their arms. At this point, I turned around.

Yeah. They're real aliens. Very real aliens. Loki certainly lived up to his army promise.

Between the hordes of fugly things coming at me, I could barely see a SHIELD jet about to land.

Nat came on the intercom, as expected. "Tony, we're heading Northeast."

Took those fools long enough. "What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing that park, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you."

I took out a couple of Loki's minions and started looking out for the unfortunate people still on the street. With one soldier beat off a screaming lady, I was back in the air looking for my next target.

Found it.

Little Miss Lily is conveniently dangling out a window.

"Okay, Tony, are you seeing this?" Steve's voice buzzed through my earpiece. Lovely. Here comes Papa-Bear.

"Coulson on the top floor? I'm seeing, still working on believing. I'll keep an eye on it."

"Not that, Tony. But, where is she?" Nat buzzed in. And here comes Mama-Bear.

"On the tower, at the top."

The earpiece filled up with an ear splitting amount of static.

"LILY? SHE'S ON THE TOP FLOOR? IS SHE OKAY?" Phil panted into his mic. I was wrong. He's the Papa-Bear.

"Phil, turn it down. Can you see us?" Clint came in.

"It's okay, Agent. Loki just jumped out the window," Steve assured a panicking Phil.

"Whewww. Good. Is she near the window?"

"Phil!"

"Sorry, Agent Barton. We can see you and most of the city from here."

"I assume your tracking these… big… things, right?"

"Big things? What big things?" I asked, looking around.

Found it.

"Oh."

Big. Fat. Mechanical. Worm. In. The. Sky.

I swallowed, stopped in mid-air.

"Where'd Bruce go?" I asked slowly, feeling the tiny bits of fear rising in my stomach. Considering that Loki's "army" includes these guys, we need our Hulk.

"Still at the tower, as far as we see."

"Maria, get off the intercom! No one wants you here!"

"Is he coming?" Steve asked.

"Uh, Just keep me posted."

I eyed up Mr. Worm. His entire body was coated with armor, including what looked to be his eyes. I've always thought that the eye is the pressure point.

Three hits in the eye, the monster is dead. I guess Loki's monsters don't have Zelda to go by.

"JARVIS, find me a soft spot."

_-x-_

*Clint*

I was getting rusty with flying. Between the projectiles and missiles coming at us, this jet was bound to fall.

And regardless of how many times Nat yelled, "SWERVE!" we crashed.

Her head was planted into the console, and the Captain was lying on the floor holding onto the nearest wall. I made sure not to touch Nat, knowing how incredibly sensitive she was in these situations. Cap helped himself up and ran to the back of the ship.

Stepping out of the hatch, we got a closer look not only at New York being destroyed, but the aliens destroying it. Not the first time seeing one for me, considering what Loki showed me, but it did put the picture into flesh.

Near instantly, they were coming after us. All over us.

I unlatched the bow and turned towards Cap.

"You think you can hold them off?"

Hold them off? Please.

"Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure," I smirked, running off with Nat and taking cover behind a car. Her aim was even better than usual.

"Just like Budapest all over again."

"Yeah," I said, remembering being trapped under a car in Hungary. In that sense, it was a little bit like Budapest.

Then I remembered exactly why we were trapped under a car. "No," I turned towards her, "You and I remember Budapest very differently."

VERY differently.

_-x-_

*Steve*

"The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable," Thor's unmistakable voice sounded.

"Thor's right, we gotta deal with these guys."

"How do we do this?" Natasha asked, barely turning towards me.

My head started to spin. Everything began to come back to me. Arranging strikes, battle strategies, action plans. Being a leader.

I've missed this.

"As a team."

"I have unfinished business with Loki," Thor boomed, sounding all grave and disappointed.

"Get in line," Clint scoffed.

"Save it." The last thing we need is the super-duper bow and arrow man fighting the super-duper hammer man.

I took a look around. Loki had made it out the window a few minutes ago and ended up in a ship. I just didn't think it was a coincidence that he came overhead every few minutes.

"Loki's gonna keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him these things could run wild."

The flash of a metal suit above us reminded me of our air support. With Tony working on the flying ones, we can focus on the ground.

We just need some help down here.

"We got Tony up top, he's gonna need us…,"

And I found the help I was looking for.

Help came in the form of Dr. Bruce Banner, riding in on a motorcycle like a boss. Upon seeing us, he slowed down and eventually stepped off.

He started to smirk, just a little.

"So all of this seems horrible."

"I've seen worse," Natasha said with a slight grunt in Bruce's direction.

"Sorry," he genuinely sympathized.

"No, we could use a little worse," she said, almost smiling a bit herself.

I tapped into the intercom, "Tony, we got Bruce, like you said."

I could practically hear Tony smiling from the other end. "Tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you."

Said party was the giant mechanical worm Tony failed to notice in the first place.

"I don't see how that's a party," Natasha said, her smile quickly fading.

"Bruce, now might be a good time for you to get angry."

He turned towards me. "That's my secret Cap. I'm always angry."

In an instant, the most amazing thing I'd ever seen occurred. Bruce transformed, his body growing and his muscles popping out of his chest, and casually as possible, he landed a blow straight into the face of the worm.

Under different circumstances, I think we'd all be clapping.

"Guys…," Natasha warned, staring up at the portal.

A new batch of soldiers came out of it, including three worms.

My breath hitched a little, keeping me on edge. I went through the options, ran through scenarios in my head, and finally took my pick of a method.

"Alright, listen up. Until we can close that portal up there, we're gonna use containment."

Hawks need an aerial view. They need nests.

"Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays."

And it only makes sense to have the fastest one covering the most ground.

"Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash."

"Wanna give me a lift?"

"Right. Better clench up Legolas."

The two were off into the air, leading to the most important aspect of this fight. The Portal.

"Thor, you've gotta try and bottleneck that portal, slow them down. You've got the lightning, light the bastards up."

He nodded, swinging around his death hammer and launching up into the sky.

I turned towards Natasha, recalling how she could show me up during target practice. And, of course, running. And Boxing. And about every other athletic thing we'd tried.

"You and me, we stay here on the ground, keep the fighting here."

Finally, I took a look at Bruce's big green alter-ego.

"And Hulk, smash."

_-x-_

*Lily*

It took about two minutes after the elevator door closed for me to be able to form a complete thought. Said complete thought went something along the lines of:

"OMYGOD, OMYGOD, Bruce just kissed me again!" and "OMYGOD, OMYGOD, I'm in Tony Starks basement where he keeps all of the dangerous things!" and finally, "OMYGOD, OMYGOD, Loki is coming to the tower and he's probably going to beat the shit out of me!"

Yeah, not the most complete thought I've ever had, but it had to count for something. After all, Bruce kissed me again, I was sitting in Tony's basement, and Loki was on his way to kill me. Average day in the life of a SHIELD intern?

I stepped out of the chair and walked towards the nearest work space. The gauze on my leg had a little red dot of blood seeping through it, so I didn't push it by walking too far. Tony's basement was as messy and unorganized as his mind, anyway.

"Miss Coulson?" a very British voice asked me.

I flipped myself around as fast as I could, looking for whoever had addressed me. "Who's there?"

"This is JARVIS, Tony Stark's 'personal assistant'. It seems my fire safety protocols have been overridden," the voice cracked and faded.

Once I realized the voice was coming from above, it clicked in my head. It's an AI. I was perfectly ashamed of taking that long to figure it out.

But fire safety?

"Overriden? JARVIS?" I whispered, feeling my heart rate pick up pace.

JARVIS didn't answer me.

Instead, the fire safety sprinklers turned to full blast.

The sheer shock of having freezing cold water dumped onto you is enough to scare the life out of anyone. For me, given those dreams, it just felt sick.

It was shocking, obviously. But it felt like fate and destiny and all of that crappy mumbo-jumbo you read about as a kid.

It was sick and twisted and completely reeking of Loki.

I just have to get out. Don't panic, just stay calm. Take deep breaths.

The water had already accumulated to my ankles by the time I stopped thinking and started escaping. There wasn't anything in sight but water. I couldn't find the elevator, much less a door.

I ran to the nearest wall and looked around. The rain was less dense on the edge, but still, I saw no elevator lights.

The water had already made it up to my knees. My gut started twisting.

This can't be it. I can't just die in Tony's basement.

It's not fair. I leaned against the wall in defeat. The water was barely skimming my bandage now, reminding me just how wrong this situation was.

My knees started to buckle under the pressure, and I couldn't help myself from sitting down. I needed the rest, the comfort.

The water almost hit my chin at this level. My leg stung at first, but I ignored it, deeming my injury unimportant.

When the water finally brushed against my lips, I felt a pang of failure.

It didn't feel like I was giving up, though. I was just giving in to it. Just giving in to the water.

I closed my eyes, leaning my head back. The water wouldn't touch my mouth this way; I could hold on just a little longer.

And I heard a chime.

My eyes opened slowly. Same dark room with the crazy water sprinklers.

I'm not in heaven yet, damn it.

And right next to me, the elevator door opened.

My head spun. What the hell was I doing? I scrambled off the floor and into the elevator, hating myself for not looking any closer.

I jammed the ground level button in with my finger. Leaning back against the door, I sighed in relief. I'm still okay. Soaking wet, but still alive. And once I get to ground level, I can blow this Popsicle stand.

Speaking of Floor 1, I should be there by now. I took a look at the elevator numbers.

"No," I whispered, watching the elevator light go up. It wasn't stopping.

I was headed all the way up.

The pressure in my head started to climb.

"NO! NO! GOD, NO!" I screamed, kicking in buttons with my good leg.

If I have to see Loki, I just don't know what'll happen. I don't know if I can make it another time. There have been too many close calls.

The light stopped.

I took the moment to attempt composing myself. It was a hard task, considering that less than a minute ago I was ready to die.

Be graceful, accepting, and keep the moral high ground. Loki can rip me to pieces if he wants, but I won't let him know that I'm scared. I'll keep my dignity.

The elevator doors opened.

And he just so happened to be standing there waiting for me. His face crinkled up into a smirk.

To hell with being graceful.

Screw the moral high ground.

I am going to gracefully scream my ass off.

"STAND BACK!" I yelled, crouched against the wall. I held my hands out in defense.

"Or?" he raised an eyebrow.

So much for intimidation.

"O-Or," I started to stutter, "Or I will punch you," I swallowed, "In the throat."

Oh God, Lily. Why the throat?

"Yes, why the throat?" he asked, coming closer.

And the bastard won't stop reading my mind.

Loki latched onto my shirt and started pulling me across the room. I took the moment to notice the blown out window and wondered which of my friends had been through it.

I can guess how I'm getting to ground level.

This is becoming animal cruelty. Seriously, he's had at least four chances to kill me this week. But no, he has to torture me first.

As if searching through my mind wasn't enough. As if stabbing me in the leg wasn't enough. He could've been done when he made the medics infect me with poison oak. Literally flushing me out of the basement? Insufficient.

No, but hanging me from the balcony should do it, and if he drops me, I think he'll be satisfied.

Too tired to fight back any harder, I didn't resist too well and ended up on the other side of the room.

"I-I can still make good on the throat punch," I warned, just as we reached the edge.

My feet, which were still bare, started to drift off the edge. He looked so happy with himself. I just wanted to smack that smug little expression of his face.

But, of course, smacking him would mean letting go of him, and letting go of him meant falling to my death.

"Hit me as hard as you please."

So he's still in my mind, even when I'm about to fall to my death. Right. What a guy.

I dared to look down, and instantly regretted it. The drop was insane, not to mention that aliens were destroying New York. Holy God.

I attempted calming myself down, but no. It wouldn't work. Few things calm you down when you're being dangled from the top floor of Stark Tower.

The faint sound of screaming civilians, metal clanging together, the woosh whenever one of Loki's aliens came by- it made me sick.

And then the roar came.

When I heard it, I lost it. I let go of Loki's arm. I let it happen.

But he didn't.

He rolled his eyes and pulled me back up.

With a slight step back, he let up his grip from my shirt. A painful shove later, my feet were back on solid ground. After the bit of thrill that came with still being alive, there was the disappointment that came with, for the fifth time, still being alive.

It didn't feel like something he would do. Loki would throw me off the tower and have a henchman, or henchalien, waiting to catch me at the bottom. That's to say if Thor didn't get there first.

He took a look down at his army and played with his scepter. With a slight turn, he looked at me.

And before effectively jumping out the window, he managed to smirk again. "Just run."

I stared at the empty space he'd just been occupying a minute longer. My stomach churned up and down uncontrollably, to the point that I threw up on the floor right then and there.

Now I can officially check puking in Stark Tower off my bucket list.

I still couldn't process what had happened. It wouldn't grip.

Almost drowned in the basement, Loki manipulated the elevator, almost fell from the balcony, and saved at the last minute by the guy that brought me there. It felt crazy, absolutely crazy.

To top it all off, I'm at the epicenter of the madness. An alien spacecraft buzzes around the building every twenty seconds.

If I had the courage to look down again, or even out the window at this point. I'm sure I'd throw up the rest of Thor's salad.

My options were running out. I just wanted to get away from all of this as quickly as possible.

I just wanted to run, like Loki said. I just wanted to be in a safe place now and find Bruce later.

Oh, Bruce.

Another roar came from outside.

And I threw up again.

But I did it.

I grabbed a pair of Pepper's shoes in the corner and did it.

I just ran.

_-x-_

Author's Note

There's a painfully blatant Florence + the Machine reference in this chapter. Go find it!

I've missed writing, and all of you guys. Like I said, I'm here to stay. This long wait was the last of its kind. If you guys want to know when I'll post a new chapter, feel free to message me. Next chapter is a Phil/Lily POV. Coulson, WOOT WOOT!

And hey, at some point during my sick leave, we hit 100k views! BAZINGA!

Drop me a review or two,

_-Maddie-_


	24. The Art of Adoption

Hello, hello! I'm back again. I'm happy to have Florence fans reading:) Tom Hiddleston should marry Florence Welch. They're both completely gorgeous and talented. Am I right?

Just in honor of the fact that Coulson officially lives on, this chapter is full of hilarious, overprotective, fanboy-flailing Phil Coulson. This chapter is extra-long, in compensation for the wait.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. What a marathon runner.

_-x-_

*Lily*

The first thing I noticed in the elevator, excluding the drenched interior and the small stream of blood running down my leg, was Pepper's shoes.

They were mustard yellow and lined with fuzzy material, making my clothes clash even more than they did already. They actually fit, believe it or not. I silently congratulated myself for having monstrous feet.

Back to my leg, I was about 90% positive that I'd reopened the wound. It didn't help the insane headache going on. My mind flashed to the thought of the stitches I would inevitably need.

Don't check it, I told myself. I hadn't seen the cut yet, and I don't intend on staring it in the eye anytime soon.

I watched the elevator lights intently, making sure the machine wouldn't get hijacked this time. How did Loki redirect the elevator and hack Jarvis in the first place? Asgard must have technology more similar to ours than what the gods let on to.

I formulated an elaborate plan detailing my actions if I ended up in the basement. It involved floaties and electrical tape.

Thankfully, I ended up safely at ground level, and I didn't have a chance to try it out.

Going through the lobby of Stark Tower proved horrifying. The room was in a state of complete chaos. It's easy for me to forget how many people actually work here when I spend so much time in Tony's apartment.

It took a full ten minutes to bat away the crowd and reach the front doors. Even then, I barely made it past the masses. They shouted at me for going outside, and I couldn't blame them.

Maybe I'd just gone crazy. It was a simple enough diagnosis.

I'd kept my head on halfway straight up until this point. It was the realization of what the hell was happening to NYC that got me. These aliens are real. Loki is real.

This rubble, this dust cloud around me is all happening.

My heart sped up enough to make my leg start throbbing. It was at that point I realized that I couldn't just stand there. I was bait.

Just run.

I played the two words back in my head. It was solid advice, given the situation. It was also completely cruel, given that the man had already rendered me unable to run.

But it sounded so nice. Just going for a run. No thinking.

Now it seemed the objective was to just run from Stark Tower in any direction I deemed fit. It's not like I'm good with directions anyway.

And it's also not like I'm any shape for running. Or walking for that matter. Moving in itself was risky.

I picked an alleyway and started towards it. It looked dark and foreboding, not a place I'd ever go, and hopefully not a place an alien would go either.

Holy Mother of God and all her nephews, my leg hurt like hell. Any chance the wound wasn't reopened was gone by now. This thing was busted. Blood was coming down my leg in little streams.

Hiding the insufferable amount of pain coming from deep inside of me, I kept myself going. The further away from the tower I got, the better.

I saw my first Chitauri up close the second I entered the alleyway. I yelped like a poodle. They were hideous beyond belief, not to mention armed to the nines. Backing away from it before it saw me, I noticed another.

And another.

And more.

I fell to the ground, partly out of exhaustion, partly out of blood loss, and who the hell knows what the rest was. Needless to say, I clattered into a dumpster and made an ungodly noise.

Their eyes locked on to me.

They didn't come towards me slowly or dramatically, those dudes just came at me. It was straight out running.

I crouched lower, holding my arms above my head in defense.

Of all the ways I could've died in the past week, this seems to be the worst. I'd take the falling over this. Maybe even bleeding to death.

And the second I closed my eyes, I felt I was flying.

I thought I was really dead. Totally, completely, unequivocally dead.

Alas, dying that quickly and painlessly was too good to be true. I opened my eyes and felt around my neck. There was a hook attached to my collar, and an arrow attached to the hook.

I don't think I should get surprised anymore when it comes to cheating death. I've done pretty well with it lately. There was a certain right to be surprised this time, considering that I was being lifted through the air.

To put it lightly, I screamed at first. My limbs flew every which way. It wasn't graceful in the smallest way.

In a mad attempt to calm myself down, I tried the weird breathing technique I saw Bruce use when Tony threw a fit over his blueberries. It did next to nothing for me.

Curse Bruce and his bogus breathing techniques. Curse Bruce and his unlimited scientific knowledge. Curse Bruce and his inhumanly attractive eyes.

Curse Bru- Get it together, woman. Stop throwing curses on Bruce, he doesn't need any more.

I dared to take a look up, and to my surprise, my hero was the expert marksmen, Quinjet master, and cynics extraordinaire, Barton.

Clint pulled me up the rest of the way and helped me onto the roof. He wordlessly unlatched his arrow hook from my collar.

He didn't look overly concerned with my well-being, so I didn't bore him with an update on the profusely bleeding leg.

"Ah, God. Thank you, Clint," I panted, feeling the need to throw up again. Considering it rude to throw up on someone who just saved my life, I held it in.

He nodded, barely tapping his ear, "She's safe, Phil."

Phil is a good name for a guardian angel.

The rooftop was a block down from Stark Tower, giving me a good view of the big, fat portal in the sky. I felt that vomit urge again, but held it in. I had a good view of New York City's imminent destruction from here.

Clint abruptly turned his gaze upwards, training his eyes on a ship. A larger one in the distance was coming directly towards us.

"They tracking you?" he asked, not looking back at me.

"Huh? What?" I asked back, not processing anything at all.

"The Chitauri. Did Loki send them after you?"

"No, I mean, I don't think he did," I answered, trying to remember when he could've, "Did he?"

I tried not looking hard at the ship that was basically overhead. Especially considering that a group of soldiers were preparing to jump off.

I took a look at the way these soldiers were equipped even more densely than the last group I'd encountered. Clint could very well be right suggesting they were tracking me.

"Let's see," he answered.

With swift steps, he backed away to the other side of the roof completely. Completely unarmed and not even remotely dangerous, I was done for.

"Hey, wait!" I yelled at him, not exactly keen on his experiment.

"I'll cover you!" he yelled back.

The group landed in the middle of the roof, right between the two of us. Clint had an arrow drawn, and I knew full and well that he could kill the four of them instantly. They leered at him, moving in his direction.

They didn't even see me.

It took him four arrows and maybe six seconds.

I made a mental note to stay on his good side, whatever the cost.

"No blood, no cleaning," he smiled to himself, pulling the arrows out of his victims.

I took the moment to throw up for the third time that day.

He grimaced at the sight, but didn't let it phase him much, "You should be fine up here, they're not tracking you. Unless, well, Loki comes. Then you're screwed."

Right. Good to have reminders. I silently wondered if Loki would come for me, seeing as he didn't want me dead just yet.

"You don't have to thank me either," he said, latching an arrow onto a nearby building.

He was out of sight in seconds.

"THANK YOU, CLINT!"

_-x-_

*Phil*

"Director, it's the Council," Maria called over to Fury.

He swallowed hard, "Ignore them."

I swallowed a bit harder. Calls from the Council don't end well. Nick always destroys someone's self esteem or threatening their life. The more elaborate his method of killing is, the more screwed we all are.

"Coulson, do you have my location?" the unmistakable voice of Steve Rogers filled my earpiece.

"Yes, Captain, I can see you perfectly. What do you need?" I asked excitedly, ready to help in any way possible.

"There looks to be a hostage situation in this bank. They've barred up the doors, and I'm not seeing any entrances. What do you have?"

"Let me see," I answered, entering a street view. As he said, the front doors were barred up. The only entrance was through the back, which would be suicide.

However, there was a manhole cover placed close enough to the back doors to get him past a good amount of the obstacles.

A devious plan crept into my head. I grinned like an idiot.

"Captain, are you willing to do something kind of disgusting?"

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

Ha. I knew he'd say something like that.

"Go East one block, and look for a manhole," I instructed, pulling up a sewer map. I planned out where I needed him in my head, getting more excited by the minute.

"Go down through it?" he asked next, sounding the slightest bit wary.

"That's the plan Sir."

Could it be? I, the humble yet fantastic SHIELD agent, get to walk Captain America, the super-soldier, through a sewage system?

Phillip Coulson for the win.

"Y'know, I thought by disgusting you'd mean it in the moral way. Like lying to innocent children and their mothers, or seducing Loki. This is kind of different."

"I know it's gross, Sir. Fury's sent me in a few sewage tunnels himself."

The "danger alert", as the newer agents call it, started ringing from the monitor over. When the target you're locked on to is in immediate danger, the alarm sounds, as the name suggests.

Oddly enough, I'm locked on to Lily.

I panicked. She was entering an alleyway full of heavily armed Chitauri. My heart started racing.

Clint happened to be closest, so I immediately targeted him.

"Barton, Lily's trapped in the alley two blocks to your East. It's a straight shot across the rooftops," I barked, panting into the com.

"Give me a second," he answered, faint shrieking going on in the background.

I gave him exactly 4 seconds.

"Got it yet?" I asked tentatively.

"Another second," I heard an explosion this time.

I spared about six.

"On it yet?"

"HOLY GOD, I'M GOING!" my communicator gave a static filled shriek.

All eyes in the room turned to me. I smiled awkwardly.

"She's safe, Phil."

"Thank you Barton," I grinned, feeling my heart rate slowly return to normal.

"Director, the Council is breaching our security system," Maria said, keeping an eye fixed on the screen.

"Hold them off as long as you can," he directed, following the little blip labeled Loki on his own screen.

"Not sure how long I can, Director," she said, rapidly typing at this point.

I gently edged behind her computer and worked on the emergency firewalls.

"That'll get you two minutes max," I said to Maria, walking as fast as I could back to my screen.

"Captain, are you still there?" I called through, hoping he remembered how to work the thing.

"Yeah, I'm down here. Just need to know where and when to turn."

"Okay, just go down a few more meters. That's it. Okay, left turn."

"Gotcha. Am I there yet?"

"One more turn left," I answered.

"OH, MOTHER MARY!"

"Captain?"

A long bout of shouting followed.

"AH, GOD. THERE ARE RATS, COULSON."

"Don't worry, Steve. You're practically there. Turn left right here," I reassured.

"Climb this ladder?"

"Yessir, that'll do it."

"Thank you, Coulson," he said sincerely.

My body went through a fit of spasms.

"Not a problem, Captain."

I sighed, backing away from the computer for a minute. Natasha had latched onto an enemy ship, Steve was inside the bank, Clint was jumping building-to-building, Lily was chilling on a rooftop, the system had given up on tracking the Hulk, and Thor for that matter. Tony was starting to take on a worm, undoubtedly against his better judgment.

Provided Tony Stark has judgment.

As for Headquarters, Maria and I were actively working with the team, and the other Agents had found-

"IT'S A STUPID-ASSED DECISION."

Oh God. Here we go. The war has begun.

Maria rolled her eyes pointedly.

I decided to check on Steve, considering that he hadn't moved in the past two minutes.

"You okay Captain?" I asked gently.

A groan sounded from the other end of the connection. "I'm fine. Fell on a car."

His blip started moving again. I sighed in relief.

Maria was amusing in her choice of marker colors for the system. It was probably my favorite thing she'd ever done. Every single one was personalized by color, and with a little effort, she managed to make Fury's the tiny image of an eye patch.

Mine was a super cute coffee cup.

I swept the screen over quickly, looking for anything to work with. Anything to take my mind from Fury in the other room.

Loki's green blip changed directions.

"Oh God, no."

Loki's green, antlered marker was headed straight towards Lily's pale white one.

I felt a sudden urge to pass out on the floor.

"COULSON, COME OVER HERE AND TELL THESE ASSHOLES THEY CAN'T DROP A BOMB ON NEW YORK CITY!"

Not thinking AT ALL, I ran into the adjacent room, "YOU ASSHOLES CANNOT BOMB THAT CITY!" I blurted, content with doing whatever Fury wanted to stay on his good side.

I nodded at him and ran back out to my monitor.

At this point, the two blips had converged.

I sat down on the floor entering hysterics. Maria jogged over to pull me up. I refused, fighting her tooth and nail.

"Phil, we need to focus. You can't let your pesky niece get in the way of work," she said, still trying to pull me up.

"Pesky? She gets in trouble a lot; I get it, but don't insult her. She's still my kid!" I yelled back, now wearing a determined scowl.

"She's almost died six times in two days."

I swallowed. "She's adopted."

_-x-_

*Lily*

I sat on my personal rooftop, watching Loki's ships go overhead.

Tony had picked a fight with a giant worm nearby, which was horrifying and awful, but decently entertaining.

Most of the crafts above me had steered pretty well clear. As far as I could tell, I was close to the perimeter.

One, however, was on a different course.

Until this point, I thought Clint was right. I was safe from ships. When it got closer, the suspicion I didn't want to consider surfaced.

Clint was still right.

It was him.

But now I'm screwed.

I thought about running away for a split second, but decided it wouldn't help much. I was frozen. His transport moved entirely too quickly for me. My head needed so much more time to process this.

It came closer gradually, but I wouldn't look straight at him. I was too afraid of what I'd see.

He simply grabbed my forearm, ship still moving. I yelped when I noticed that the vessel wasn't stopping.

Loki had a grip on one arm, letting me dangle from the ship haphazardly. It was incredibly horrifying.

"LOKI! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" I screamed up at him, clinging to the underside of his ship for dear life.

"SAVING YOUR LIFE, INGRATE!" he roared back at me.

I didn't absorb those words. I was too busy preparing to die, and making sure to scream every time we turned.

The city flew by beneath me, making me sicker, and sicker, and sicker. The ship gradually lowered, turning around another time.

I caught a glimpse of Tony finishing off his worm. He flew through the end side, letting the giant thing swerve around, heading downwards.

The worm crashed down on the rooftop I'd been sitting on. Smack dab where I was.

I'd have been dead.

My mouth dropped open. My grip slacked.

Loki.

Loki saved me.

I didn't want to admit that to myself.

I looked up at him for a second. He didn't look back.

He was looking at the large green mass jumping at us.

I got this odd rush of relief, the kind you shouldn't get when a big green rage monster grabs you out of the sky.

This relief was met with an extreme rush of fear, the kind you should get when a big green rage monster grabs you out of the sky.

I was caught up in an incredibly close Hulk-squeeze that seemed to shield me from most anything. It was oddly comfortable.

Until we crashed into a neighboring building, that is. I felt the force, but thankfully, no shards of glass. He seemed unaffected by it, keeping on with his regular angry expression. No pain to be seen.

I hoped that he knew more about the situation than me, considering our current surroundings. I genuinely hoped he knew anything at this point. It was a hope of mine that the Hulk retained some of Bruce's qualities.

We hit the ground a bit less gently than I'd hoped. His back landed flat against the pavement, thank Odin. I wrenched out of his grip and sat up on the pavement. He was standing up before I even got that far.

I came out with only a few scratches, despite the worsening leg. There was a small cut on my cheek, letting a little bit of blood out.

He was fascinated by it. He touched it, rubbed it, and even pinched it.

I swatted his giant hand away gently, accidently letting him touch my ear. What a mistake that was. Apparently, the Hulk has a thing for ears. Or mine, at least.

After becoming incredibly frustrated that his entire pinky wouldn't fit in my ear canal, he grunted at me.

Once a loud enough noise distracted him, he turned away from me and grunted a second time. His gaze was fixed on another worm. He bounded off at it, leaving me in his dust.

Great. I just got ditched by my monster. Best day ever.

I looked ahead at the road, noticing a certain super-soldier heading my way. How do these people always find me? God. I must have a tracking device planted in my face.

"Has Coulson gotten up yet?" Steve talked into his com.

A short pause followed.

"Okay, when he does, let him know his kid's okay."

"Why isn't Phil up?" I questioned, "and don't call me kid," the last came out as a murmur.

"He basically passed out when he saw you were near Loki," he said, motioning me to follow him down the street.

Figures. What a silly man.

"Are you okay, Steve?" I asked, wondering why he wasn't jumping off to defeat every soldier we came by.

"No," he said, honestly, after a bit of deliberation. "I fell on a car. And they're going to bomb the city."

For at least the millionth time this hour, I was shocked.

"'They'?"

"The people above Fury," he said, wearing a disappointed expression.

Councilmen. Nick Fury's true nemesis.

We had stopped at an intersection, seeing as the sky was more visible from here. Thor landed next to me, seemingly out of nowhere. I smiled nauseously at him.

Steve looked absorbed in his communicator. "You know that's a one way trip, Stark."

Oh God. My heart hit my throat.

Not Tony.

We looked up at the sky, noticing where the Iron Man was headed. I felt a rush of excitement, thinking there was a solution, but it didn't last.

"Can he do this?" I asked, worrying for his safety; and Pepper's sanity.

"No worries, Daughter of Coul, you must trust him to prevail."

I chuckled. No worries.

As we stand in the middle of a deserted street staring at a skyscraper with an open portal to another world (which is trying to consume ours), with two Norse Gods and a host of deadly creatures around us, we have no worries.

Not to mention Tony has a missile.

Yeah. Thor's totally right.

Life is nice.

_-x-_

Author's Note

Bwahaha. You're all adopted.

Why the hard to follow plot? And why the hell does Loki keep saving Lily for? Why does the Hulk like ears? And why so many questions?

What shall happen next, you ask? I guess we will see in the double Coulson/Stark POV chapter coming up next! The wait will be very short. I have at least half of it done already:)

I promise you on Thor's toaster,

_-Maddie-_


	25. Of Shawarma and 'Tranquilimamizers'

Told you I'd be quick:) It's a little short, but full of Avengers quality time, so I hope I'll be forgiven. I've been made aware that many of you read this during class, so I do apologize if I get you in trouble with this chapter.

I have a feeling you might burst out in the latter half, so prepare your bodies.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. She's the one with the attractive ears.

_-x-_

Saying my heart was in my throat was a gross understatement. More accurately, my heart was in my mouth and my lungs were stuck in my esophagus.

Because it's Tony.

And I hated Tony at first. I hated him a whole lot.

But right in that moment, I thought Tony was the greatest freaking guy on the planet. Tony was amazing. Tony was perfect. Nat can close the portal. This can all end right now, but we'd lose Tony.

And hamburgers if I'd let that happen.

Tony entered the portal, and we waited.

I'm not sure what we waited for. Maybe an explosion, maybe the alien leader, maybe Tony Stark burnt to a crisp.

"Hold off as long as you can," Steve said into his communicator.

And right when we couldn't hold off any longer, he came through.

That –

"Son of a gun."

- Exactly. Thanks Steve.

"He's not slowing down."

And he wasn't. My heart re-entered my mouth.

Thor prepared his hammer, and even swung towards the limp body, but ultimately, Tony had a similar experience to mine.

A big, crushing Hulk hug that is pleasingly awkward and embarrassingly comfortable.

He was laid down on the pavement, unmoving and oblivious.

I wanted to smack him, scream at him, punch his gut – anything. Anything that would wake him up.

The Hulk apparently had a similar thought process to mine, because in the next moment, he roared louder than Thor appreciating a toaster.

"Whoah," Tony's eyes opened quickly, despite the weight of his perfect eyelashes. "What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me."

"We won," Steve smiled.

"Alright. Hey. Alright. Good job, guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma?" he looked up at us.

We shook our heads, smiling.

"There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it."

Tony's back. That's fo'sho. I forgot how much I love that bastard.

After pulling Tony off the floor, we slumped over to the door of Stark Tower and entered ground level.

His employees started clapping and cheering, regardless of the way he swatted them away, trying to find the elevator.

We squeezed in the lift together, excluding the Hulk, who preferred climbing.

"You're dripping. You need to wash that thing," Steve said, motioning towards my leg, which was slowly streaming down my leg and splashing onto the carpet.

"The carpet is soggy anyway," Clint added.

Heeding Steve's words, I moved to the bathroom to wash my ruddy leg. The bandage was soaked and for the time being, my doctor was green.

Loki was crushed into a hole that fit him surprisingly well. I didn't even try to figure out how he got there. Or look at him, for that matter.

Now, he's not trying to kill me, which makes him scarier than ever.

I snatched up the Second Aid Kit and washed off the outside of the bandage in the bathroom. I hesitated in pulling it off, but decided to suck it up and get it over with.

Honestly, I almost blacked out from looking at it. It was so disgusting, I convinced myself I'd bleed out right then and there. There wasn't even that much blood, but goodness. I'm allowed to have my dramatic moments.

With adequate pressure, a level head, and a full roll of toilet paper, I wasn't leaking anymore.

I covered it in a fresh bandage and reassembled the kit. Splashing cold water on my face, I decided my teeth needed brushed, and quickly.

Puking three times doesn't exactly give you good breath.

_-x-_

After scaring Loki back into his hole, the team had crashed on the couches. Tony's stomach was making noises audible from across the room. He'd been promised shawarma, but his giant ego and style complex induced a problem with taking the Hulk out with him.

"Sooo. How do we turn it off?" he asked, staring at the big green man, who was sitting on the floor.

"I don't know. I doubt it has an off switch or anything."

"Can we stop calling him it?" I pouted, taking a seat next to Thor, who immediately laid his head on my lap.

"How does he usually change back?" Steve asked, his face twisting into a confused expression.

"Last time he fell through the roof of a warehouse," I said with a grimace.

"Ouch."

"Well, we are on the top floor," Tony said, grinning mischievously.

"Yeah, no. That's not going to happen."

"We could hit him in the head with a board," Natasha said bluntly.

"Ha, be my guest."

"I HAVE A THEOREM TO PROPOSE," Thor spoke up. After much deliberation, he gave consent for me to braid his hair.

"We're listening."

"PERHAPS IF WE MAKE THE ANGRY BEAST HAPPY, HE WILL REVERT TO HIS ORIGINAL FORM."

"How do we make him happy?" Steve asked, his face remaining all confused and adorable.

"HIS HUMAN FORM IS AMUSED BY SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTATION."

"Hey, Jarvis?" Tony looked up at his ceiling.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Deadbolt all entrances to the labs."

"Yes, Sir."

"Instead of knocking him out, we should just put him to sleep," Steve suggested calmly.

"I'm out of tranquilizer arrows," Clint said with a slight frown.

"Check the cabinet," Tony said with shifty eyes.

Clint moved into the adjoining kitchen, trying to find a strong sedative.

"There are at least a dozen jazz albums on my iPod. They make most people sleepy," I said, remembering how quickly Phil fell asleep the last time he listened.

"Are we talking swing, or combo, or standards…?" Steve asked, obviously interested.

"Big band, all the way, man."

Steve smiled in appreciation. "Nice. I say we try that."

"No. I failed the Kenny G challenge in the first 20 seconds," Tony yelled, making a disgusted face.

"It's not Kenny-,"

"Whatever it is, we're not doing it."

"We could just wait until he wears himself out."

"Like that'll ever happen."

"Found the tranquilizer," Clint called back, slowly walking into the living room. "Who's gonna do it?"

"You are," Tony pointed straight at me.

"Me?"

"Yeah, she probably should," Clint agreed.

"Why should I do it?" being the weakest person in the room, it seemed like a horrible idea.

"Because he likes you," Tony said, batting his eyelashes at me.

"I'd like to keep it that way. Thor should do it," I pointed at the giant man in my lap.

"ME?" he asked, sitting up and ruining the braid I was working on.

"No, the other Thor on this planet."

"Be careful, Norway and Sweden are full of Thors and Lokis," Tony said, wagging his finger.

"How do you know?" Nat asked, raising her eyebrows.

"He probably looked them up in a phonebook," Clint smirked.

"HOW DO YOU SUGGEST I ADMINISTER SAID TRANQUILIMAMIZER?"

"You could tackle him," Steve suggested.

"Try slamming him into the ground repeatedly," Loki yelled, groaning slightly.

"You! Shut up!"

"Just do it as fast as possible," Tony said, wanting to get this over with.

"Where's the dart?"

"I got it."

"Who keeps tranquilizers in their cabinet?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Don't judge."

"GIVE ME THE TRANQUILITIZIZER, BROTHER BARTON."

"That's how every sentence should start."

"Are we really doing this?" I asked, much more pleased with the thought of waiting for him to change back on his own.

"Of course we are! We can't take that thing out to eat with us!"

"He's not a thing!"

"WHERE SHALL I INJECT?"

"Try the butt!"

"NO! Not there!"

An incredibly loud roar was heard on all seven continents.

"God, he has no fear." Given that Thor has no fear, he ended up wrestling a dozing off Hulk.

"HE'S DOWN!" Thor finally yelled from underneath the big green one. Thor was trapped, and probably unable to breathe well, but he didn't complain.

"God, get him out!" Nat yelled, pulling on the Hulk's feet in an attempt to get him off.

"I can't lift him up," Steve said, pulling at the shoulders. Clint joined him, to no avail.

"Help them," Tony nudged my shoulder.

"You help them," I said, nudging him back.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'd be a whole lot of help," he rolled his eyes.

"You'd be a lot more help than me."

Steve, Clint, and Natasha had managed to lift the Hulk a couple of inches, letting Thor stick his head up enough to breathe.

"Roll him over."

"NO! STOP! NAKED!" Steve yelled, letting go of him.

Apparently, his pants had ripped during Thor's endeavor. What a perverted sentence.

"Get a blanket," Clint said to me.

I obliged, getting Tony's favorite yellow blanket.

Tony didn't like this. "'Whaa, that's my blanket!"

"Oh come on, it's just for a minute."

"Are you okay under there?" Nat yelled to Thor.

"VERILY."

"What do we do now?"

"Wait for him to change back, I guess."

"What's the average shrinking time?"

"Let's Google it," I deadpanned.

"Good idea," Tony pointed at me. "Jarvis?"

"Damn it, I was joking."

"Zero search results, sir."

"We're just waiting then."

"When I get back from missions, I count my bruises to pass time," Clint murmured numbers softly, pointing at his busted up arm.

Nat rolled her eyes. "Don't start."

"May I have assistance getting up, please?" Loki moaned.

"No! Shut up!"

"In exactly ten minutes, I am going to get shawarma if he comes or not," Tony yelled, frustrated beyond belief.

"I BELIEVE I SHALL JOIN YOU, IF I AM ABLE TO GET OUT."

"What the hell is shawarma?" Clint asked, his stomach growling also.

"It's heavenly nectar," Tony smiled, closing his eyes for effect.

"It's food, dumbass," Nat corrected.

"Hold on, I think he's shrinking," Clint said, noticing the fading green color.

"God, took him long enough! Let's go!" Tony shrieked.

"Give him a minute," I said, watching the transformation.

"No more minutes. We're leaving now."

"He's almost done."

"AM I SAFE YET?"

"Yeah, go ahead and push him off."

"I'll go get some clothes," Steve said, feeling awkward with the naked situation.

"IT IS AN INTRIGUING FEELING TO BE PINNED BENEATH A NAKED BEAST," Thor said, brushing off his clothes.

"It sounds pretty neat," Clint shrugged.

"YES, YOU SHOULD TRY IT."

"Wake him up!" Tony barked.

"Maybe we should just let him sleep. He looks so tired," Nat said in a surprisingly sympathetic voice.

"NO! I'm hungry! Bruce will understand."

"Come on!"

"If you don't find a way to wake him up humanely, so help me God, I'll pour a bucket of water on him."

"That's pointless. He'll just Hulk out again."

"Try tickling him."

"No, that's inhumane."

"Do you have any kind of bear horn?" Nat asked Tony.

"Honey, I have every type of bear horn."

"I'd rather die now than see you with a bear horn," Clint grimaced.

"You've seen me with worse."

"I'm not going to follow that train of thought," I mumbled.

"I am. What have you seen her with?" Tony grinned.

"Weaponized chicken salad."

Nat scoffed, "It wasn't weaponized."

"You hit me with it."

"I'm leaving. Come on Thor!"

"WHERE ARE WE HEADING AGAIN?"

I took a look over at the Hulk, who was now completely Bruce. I smiled at first, because HELL TO THE YES, BRUCE IS BACK, WHEN CAN I KISS HIM? Upon looking more closely, I frowned. His face was smushed into the ground horribly.

It's time to return a favor, I do believe.

Ignoring Nat and Clint's bickering and Tony and Thor's shawarma musings, I grabbed a pillow from one of the couches.

Gently, I eased it under Bruce's head, taking care not to wake him up. I petted his hair and stood back up, only to see the entire room smiling at me.

"Holy shit, that is cute," Clint spoke up.

"Seriously, that should go on a Christmas card."

"Aww, so sweet," Tony said sarcastically. "NOW LET'S LEAVE!"

At that, Bruce's head shot up off the pillow. Tony was officially louder than Thor.

"Oh God, what happened?" he asked, reaching down and pulling out a sharp little object.

"Thor put a tranquilizer dart in your ass," Natasha supplied.

"I see that."

"I APOLOGIZE GREATLY, BROTHER."

"You can stop shouting Thor."

"SORRY."

Bruce lifted the blanket over his head to change into the clothes Steve handed him.

"I hate to do this to you Tony, but what are we gonna do about Loki?"

Tony groaned, "Why is my life so awful?!"

"I SHALL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY BROTHER IN THIS TIME."

"Yelling, Thor."

"OH YES, I apologize."

"YOU PROMISED WE'D GO NOW, NATASHA."

"Thanks for the pillow," Bruce whispered into my ear, placing a hand against my back.

For the third time, my heart entered my mouth.

"Thanks for grabbing me out of the sky."

"No problem," he smiled, "How's your leg?"

"I, uh, reopened it," I said bluntly, not in the habit of glossing things over with Bruce.

He inhaled through clenched teeth. "Did you have to wash it?"

I looked at my feet, "You weren't lying when you said it was bad."

"I can stitch it up really fast when we get back. Thor's pretty good with sedatives, or so I've heard."

Stitching it. Needles entering skin. Thor stabbing me with a tranquilizer dart.

I hope shawarma involves alcohol.

"A dog collar would be nice."

"I don't have any dog collars!"

"I think we definitely need something better than string to hold him in place."

"A muzzle could be beneficial too."

"FINE. WE CAN STOP AT PETCO, BUT THEN WE'RE EATING."

_-x-_

I stared around the table of the shawarma joint at the athletic builds, the sculpted cheekbones, the gorgeous hair, and the altogether perfect mien of these people.

Despite how their heads were slumped, the mud and dirt caked onto their skin, and the way their bodies slouched, they looked beautiful.

Beautiful in the cheesy way. Beautiful in the soul-deep way. Beautiful because I don't give a rat's ass if it's cliché.

I grinned like an idiot.

Because right then, I felt kind of happy. And grinning is what happy people do, right?

Maybe it was the Tahini sauce, or the oddly shaped cucumbers left on Tony's plate. It could have been the way Thor was devouring his second sandwich, or how Steve was timidly nibbling the hot pepper I gave up on. Perhaps it was watching Nat steal bites of Clint's food when he wasn't looking, because I knew she had years of practice.

And possibly, just possibly, it was when my foot accidentally kicked Bruce's under the table, and he kicked mine back.

Yeah, I think it was that.

Even if I'd have to get stitches once we got back to the Tower, even if I had no idea what was happening with Loki, and even if none of this lasted for any time at all - I was happier than a Thor in the kitchen department of IKEA.

Before I could think about it too hard, I slumped my head against Bruce's shoulder.

He looked down at me, pulled a lock of hair out of my face, and laid his head on top of mine.

Thor glanced over at us and wordlessly leaned on Tony. Tony reciprocated, petting the God's hair.

Clint shrugged at Nat, moving to put his head on her lap.

Steve looked around the room, sighed, and planted his face into the table.

_-x-_

Author's Note

Let me destroy you with endless dialogue. Who cares, you're all adopted anyhow. AND PILLOW REFERENCE. D'AW.

"Mien" is a really good word. I've been trying to use it six times a day, because what's life without a bit of whim, eh?

Next chapter will be up relatively quickly also. I won't give away much, because it's still in the works, but I think you'll like it. There's plenty o' Thor. It's my aim to complete this story by Christmas, because SPOILER ALERT: I have a Christmas epilogue in planning.

It's gonna be hi- freaking –larious,

_-Maddie-_


	26. Stitching Up Your Circuit Board

It's loooong. I like it, too. The wait was insane, and I revised the ending over Christmas, so I do apologize for all of that false hope.

I do hope you like this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. Stitch, stitch, stitch.

_-x-_

*Lily*

Outside of the Shawarma joint, there was a decently sized curb. When the owners of the restaurant kindly asked us to leave, we didn't make it much further than said curb.

Considering that it looked like some form of closing time and Thor annihilated their napkin dispenser, we didn't argue with them. Tony didn't even pull the superhero card.

I was momentarily proud of him; proud enough to let him sit down and pout on the sidewalk.

Naturally, we followed suit. We all sat there on the pavement, falling backwards one by one. We were all eventually stretched out, making mundane comments about clouds.

It was maybe an hour. Occasionally, Tony would mumble something or kick Thor a little bit. But for the most part, we stayed quiet.

That was, until the sky darkened enough for us to notice. Then we took notice of time.

The conversation went something like:

"God, my back hurts."

"Holy Hell, we've been out here too long."

"Really, guys, we should be getting back before people see us."

"Seriously, brahs."

"Yeah. Wait, did you just call me a… a… 'bra'?"

"Calm down, Steve. It's just slang."

"Is baby brother still secure over there?"

"Relax, Barton. He's handcuffed and muzzled."

"Handcuffed? Where's the key to that?"

"I have it, obviously, considering I own the handcuffs."

"That's fairly logical, but shouldn't we give the key to whoever's least likely to set him free?"

"Are you saying I'm liable to set him free?"

"No, I just think Lily should take them. I mean, he stabbed her. Come on."

"He mind-washed Barton."

"How do we know he still isn't mind-washING Barton?"

"Whatever. Lily, you get to drive Loki."

"Well, I think Clint could handle th-,"

"WHAT RITUALS ARE WE PLANNING TO COMMENCE AT THE TOWER?"

"Rituals? Seriously?"

"I think that was a joke actually. Was that a joke, Thor?"

Pause.

"So, what rituals do you do on Asgard for fun?"

"Apparently, they throw babies."

Thor's face palm was almost audible.

"That's too hardcore for me."

"What are we doing tomorrow, anyway?"

"Uh, tomorrow we're shooting Loki back up into the sky. Right?"

"VERILY."

"Great. Then we can all get back to our normal lives."

Normal lives. Right.

Wonder what that involves for me now.

_-x-_

A rubbing alcohol pad, a bowl of soapy water, a towel, a spool of thread, and a needle were laid out in front of me.

"Staring down the needle won't blunt it," Bruce smiled, gently spinning in circles on a swivel chair.

Tony had suggested I get stitched up in one of the labs, seeing as they're harder for Thor to find. So we'd gone, and after Bruce collected the supplies, I prepared myself.

Twenty minutes into looking at everything, I thought I was ready. Thought.

I looked at the very red bandage. And back to the needle. And the bandage.

"I'm ready."

Bruce smiled, "Finally."

He stood up from the chair and walked over to the table I was sitting at, immediately pulling on gloves. "Latex allergy?" he asked, noticing the way I cringed.

"No, they're just… squeaky. That's all," I said, feeling a sickness build in my gut.

"Squeaky. Right," his eyebrows raised as he gently peeled off my bandage.

I looked down at it full on. The cut was so deep and bloodied. It needed at least forty stitches. Maybe more. Hopefully Bruce likes me enough to tie it up in thirty.

He washed all the dried blood off to get a better look, and finally, he clicked his tongue. "I'm thinking fifty stitches."

I could literally feel the shift in my blood pressure. "Fifty?"

He gave me a worried glance. "I'm afraid so."

The second the needle touched me, I jumped. It didn't even enter my skin.

"Let me give you the shot," Bruce pleaded, looking up from my leg, "I can give you enough that you won't even go under."

I automatically shot down the thought of a painkiller. Seriously. I felt like such a whining bitch every time I even considered it.

But I was so tired of being tough.

"Well…" I started, my voice catching in my throat.

He sighed in relief, "Great, I already measured it out." He grabbed a syringe from the table over. "Just give me the word."

I pointedly ignored his lack of faith in me and bit down on my lip. Screw it. "Go."

The sting of the needle was the last thing I remembered feeling for a while. At first I fought the sleepy feeling, but I gave in to after a few minutes. The entire experience faded out from there.

I was conscious, however, of a few small bits of conversation.

"I keep thinking of b-words," I said, my head a little dazed.

"B-words?"

"Yeah, like a… like bellybutton. And balloons. Butterfinger. Barrel rolls. Border Collies. And uh, bellybutton. I like that one."

"Are you thinking of bad b-words?" he asked with a questioning smile.

"No, no, no. That would be bad."

And a few minutes later.

"Hey, Bru-uce?" I almost hiccupped.

"Hm?"

"Where are- what are, we… going to?"

His face fell a little bit, "I'm not sure, Lily."

"I think you'll find it out."

"And why's that?" he said, completely absorbed in the stitching process.

"Because you're smarter than all of us put together."

And the memory fades from there.

_-x-_

I did go under from the medicine, and when I came back up from it, I wasn't in a lab.

It was a warm bed, and not an experiment table. It was the same bed I slept in last night, considering the blood stain on the sheet from a soaked bandage. With less than a little reasoning, I knew I passed out on the lab table, and Bruce was generally perfect, so he carried me up here. Why wouldn't he?

The clock read 9:37, which seemed to me a reasonable bed time. It was just my luck that I was waking up.

I found a sweater and a pair of pajama bottoms in my bathroom, which had to be Natasha's. Her height was much better suited to mine. I found it sweet how she'd softened up to me. It wasn't perfectly blatant all the time, but I knew she cared about me.

The stitches in my leg were perfect looking, with even spacing and a shiny thread. Hardly any blood came out of the wound in the shower, which was a welcome change.

I wasn't tripping over the hems of Nat's pants either, and her sweater was just itchy enough to be comfortable.

The sleeping situation was an interesting one. Tony had crashed on a guest bed, as had Thor. Natasha claimed a room instantly, as did Clint, and Steve just took whatever he was given.

The hallway was full of muffled snoring noises. Still, I didn't see Bruce. Unless Clint and Natasha had migrated into one room, which I doubted at this point of mock casualty in their relationship, someone was missing.

"Hey, Jarvis?" I whispered, careful not to wake anyone.

"Miss Coulson."

"Where did Bru- Dr. Banner go?"

"He is still in the lab, ma'am. Shall I send for him?"

"No, no, no! It's ok. Just don't let him stay up too late," I smiled.

The room next to mine was unoccupied, or at least no one was currently asleep in there. I had enough sense to know that Bruce would stay there.

There. Not here.

Maybe he's just distancing himself, and maybe he has been all along. He doesn't seem to be the type that gets attached.

Maybe he doesn't like me, or he's never liked me.

Which wouldn't explain waiting thirty sleepless hours just to talk to the intern. Or every kiss on the forehead. Or, of course, those gorgeous stitches.

He has to like me. To some extent or degree.

I just hope it's enough to make him stay.

_-x-_

Being a person with more emotional problems than money, my grand philosophy on wine is quite simply, the cheaper the better. In the Tower, the cheapest bottle of wine (by my less than expert estimation) was a bottle of Rose '82 that cost about a month of my rent.

The God of Lies was sitting on the balcony letting his legs dangle haphazardly. His right hand was cuffed to a support beam, making him unable to move very well. I patted my pocket, making sure I was still the keeper of that key.

"Alcohol is one of the least effective means of coping with unwanted emotions," he said, not even looking back at me.

"It seems to work for me," I mumbled, filling up my glass.

"I never said it does not work, it is just not the best option," he said, full of womanly sass.

I smirked at his attempt at a conversation, but automatically declined. "I'm not talking to you about it, if that's what you want."

"No need. I can read your mind."

So there's no way around it. Why not?

"Want a drink?"

"Whatever you're having."

I got out another wine glass and filled it to the brim.

"I see you're using contractions," I said, noticing his use of 'you're'.

"Using what?" he asked, raising his eyebrows as I walked towards him.

I completely forgot I was having a conversation with an alien. "Contractions. When you join two words together. It's a little informal for you."

"I do believe my grammar is suffering," he frowned.

"Well, the wine's not gonna help that," I said, handing him his glass and sitting down on the ledge.

We sat in silence for awhile, not looking at each other. Occasionally one of us would have a sip of wine or scratch our necks.

It felt strange sitting next to a mass-murderer and not being petrified.

"Do you honestly believe he would leave you?" he finally asked, smirking that horrible smirk that made me want to slap him.

I groaned internally. Being reduced to talking out your feelings with a pathological liar is never comforting. "I'm still not going to talk to you about it."

"That's reasonable, considering I kill people," he shrugged. "But honestly?" he looked back at me, raising his eyebrows.

I gave him a very pointed look.

He rolled his eyes. "I disagree."

"Please stop doing that," I said, closing my eyes to hold myself back from slapping him.

"Doing what?"

"Reading my mind. What else would it be?"

"Having all the right answers, maybe? But I can't stop either."

"There has to be a way to stop it from happening."

"I cannot just turn it off, as much as I'd like to, considering what humans think about in their spare time," he mumbled the last bit.

"Yes, you can. I've been in your head, too," I challenged, taking another sip of wine.

"You're lying. Since when do you do that?" he squinted at me.

"I'm not lying."

"And you're doing it again. Am I rubbing off on you?"

"No, I haven't started killing people."

He smiled at this, but ultimately explained his point. "Yes, you've seen little bits of my vast and complicated mind, but nothing that detailed," he used his hands to demonstrate just how vast and complicated his mind was.

"You play lute."

"I am horrible at it," he frowned.

I reached for the bottle. "Can I ask you a question?"

"A query for a query?" he looked more excited now, probably because he found a way to use 'query' in a Midgardian conversation.

I thought over his proposal. "Only if you give good answers."

"Fair enough. Go on."

"Why did you save me?" I asked, enunciating each word.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head. "Because I pity your abhorrent mortal childhood. My turn?"

I sighed, ignoring how sarcastic his reply was. What was I expecting? "Go ahead."

"Do you think I'm lying?"

"Yes." Hell yes.

"Fine," he said, looking completely defeated.

"Should we try again?"

"And expect different results?"

I ignored him the best I could. "Can I ask why you won't tell me?" I looked at him, trying to gage his reaction.

He swallowed and smiled, "You might very well jump off this ledge."

No answer then.

"Then where did you learn to hack elevators? And fire safety systems?"

His eyes went shifty. "I do what I have to."

Ignoring the horrifying connotations of that statement, I swallowed deeply. "Loki, I-uh- saw myself drowning in a dream, before the basement situation."

"I know you did," his expression didn't waver.

"Can you explain it?"

"Again, you'd jump off that ledge."

"Pfft, you'd save me," I smiled.

"You've made me pathetic, Coulson," he smiled weakly.

I noticed his expression quickly, "You know why it happened, don't you?"

He looked away from me very pointedly. "I'm not positive." Imagine that.

My heartbeat got a little faster at the thought of an answer. "So you can't be positive I'll kill myself."

"I'm still not going to tell you."

"I can beg."

"It won't help."

"I didn't really think it would."

He sighed deeply. "You're barely even afraid of me."

I let myself grin, if barely, "When you're handcuffed to a beam and calling yourself pathetic, no."

"I'm still scary though. Look at this hair," he smoothed it down, wiggling an eyebrow.

"I think it could become a trend," I smiled, imagining Thor curling the backs of his hair up, and burning himself in the process.

With that, I took a better look out the window at my surroundings. I didn't try to remember the last time I was on a ledge of Stark Tower, but I did nonetheless.

The city looked so much better at night. Everything looked better at night. The lights were new, and they were beautiful, but they couldn't compare to the stars I grew up with.

"I find it interesting how you miss the night sky," Loki said, gazing at the pitch black scene.

"God, privacy."

"Sorry," he smiled sheepishly, "Asgard has better stars anyway."

"It's October, right?" I said while counting on my fingers, halfway ashamed of myself for not keeping track. The breeze seemed October to me.

"I honestly couldn't care less about the Midgardian calendar," Loki said, sounding downright prissy.

"What's Asgard's calendar like?"

"You would need at least two more bottles to begin to comprehend the Asgardian datebook."

"Right then. Let's not."

"It's better that way."

"I bet Orion is out," I grinned. Orion was always Phil's favorite, seeing as he couldn't remember any others.

"Not with these lights."

"It's a shame."

"Give me a moment," he smiled.

And in the moment I gave him, Loki caused a blackout of the entire city with a single snap. NYC was completely black, no lights, no reflections- nothing. Of course, being self sustained, I figured Tony's Tower would stay lit, but Loki got it out, too.

"Whoah, Loki, how did you-," I started, not being able to take in the darkness around me.

I could barely see anything, apart from the headlights in the street below. The ledge was barely visible, so I pulled my legs back onto the balcony.

"It's better not to ask. They'll find out how to fix things in a few hours, which is plenty of time for your eyes to adjust."

"Thank you."

The two words you don't say to a super-villain.

He shrugged, "Why thank me? These stars are horribly dull."

"Well, not just the stars. I mean, not dropping me off the tower, and saving me from the worm, and stabbing me in the leg instead of the chest. It's all very nice of you, in perspective."

"Nice? A human has called me nice. I think I should write this down."

"Don't flatter yourself. You still stabbed me," I mumbled.

"Thank you, then. For calling me nice. And for the wine. The wine is good."

Slowly, I began to see the stars. One at a time at first, and then in clusters.

Cassiopeia first, then Andromeda, and I even found Perseus, though the Empire State Building was blocking most of him.

Seeing stars in New York City must've caused the tectonic plates of my head to shift. I realized how wrong this all was; how this conversation shouldn't be happening.

But hell if I was going to stop it.

"I deserve to know why you saved me," I said, finishing my glass, "I mean, you hate the people that would be upset if you hadn't, you CERTAINLY don't have a crush on me, and you're not gaining anything from keeping me alive. Are you?"

"What is a crush?" his face twisted into a confused expression.

"A romantic interest," I copied his Old English accent.

"Ha. In your dreams."

"That too! I have these stupid dreams about your childhood. Why? Please. I'll leave you alone from now on," I pleaded, not adding that he was relatively easy to stay away from.

He looked slightly scared, "Oh goodness, don't leave me alone. I can't stand these people."

"Okay then, I won't leave you alone. Just tell me."

"Promise me something."

"Anything," I rushed out, before fully considering the statement. "Well, not anything, considering it's you."

"Promise you won't hurt yourself, you won't hurt me, and you won't tell anyone."

Easy enough. "I promise." Bruce doesn't count.

He almost hissed. "You can't tell Bruce."

Bruce cares about me more than I care about me. "I can't do that."

"Fine. You can tell him."

"Thank you. You are aware there are security cameras everywhere, right?"

"I disabled them hours ago."

"Then I promise."

"Well. I guess I can tell you."

"Yes, you can."

"Anytime."

"Yes, anytime."

"I could wait…"

"FOR GOD'S SAKE TELL ME NOW."

"Ehehe, this is entertaining. So much for alcohol being a depressant. It's like insanity in one glass for you."

"Please. Just. Tell me."

"Fine," he breathed out, "Okay. Well. Where do I start? Um, when I did what I did to you in the cell, it didn't happen the way I would've liked. Good thing I turned the cameras off. That sounded suggestive," he said, furrowing his brow.

"In your dreams."

He ignored my statement and continued, "Anyway, it didn't work right. And I still don't know why, considering you aren't special or anything."

"Charming." Of course, living with these people, there aren't many chances for you to feel special.

"Perhaps I am out of practice. Nonetheless, the process was ruined, which let you see, as you know, parts of my mind," he fumbled through the story making unnecessary stops.

"Just get to it."

"As I was saying, before you rudely interrupted me, you saw parts of my mind. And that should never happen. Getting onto the parts you don't know, it didn't work on my part either," he said, crossing his legs and pouring himself another glass of wine.

"So you didn't see my past?"

"Oh no," he laughed, "I saw your past. Every little detail."

I grimaced, "Sorry about that."

He shrugged, "It is what it is."

"You can go on," I said, hoping to change the subject.

"I'll go on when I want to go on."

"What went wrong?" I asked, ignoring his sassy comments.

"Going by the query for a query deal, I can ask you eleven questions now."

"I'll stop," I swallowed deeply.

"Anyway, when I performed my trick on you in the cell room, another lewd statement, I saw more than your past." His expression was so loaded with sadness and regret and lament and horrible, terrible, awful things.

The adjectives running through my mind were the first indication I'd taken in enough alcohol.

"More than my past? What more is there to see?" I quizzed, my mind still spinning, partly from thinking, partly from wine.

Unless-

No.

It couldn't happen. It's not in any way logical.

"Yes," he answered before I could ask him. "I saw it."

I scooted against the nearest wall, even if I could barely see it. "What did you see?"

"Well, I saw you drowning, and you happened to see that one too," he said, smiling at the way I backed away from him.

"How…?" I mustered, barely forming words.

"I have no idea. Again, you aren't special, so it's completely illogical for this to have happened."

The insult didn't register the second time. Nothing registered at all.

"Mainly though, I saw you sitting on this ledge next to me. You had the key in your right pocket, and I had the opportunity to take it."

I instantly reached into my pocket for the key, and froze a second later.

Click.

He walked –sashayed, more accurately- away from the ledge.

"You were focusing a little too hard on those sea monsters in the stars, plus the wine, so I just snatched it here." He kneeled down and placed the key back in my palm. Gently, he folded each of my fingers over it.

"You're allowed to be mad at me, Lily. But you won't regret this in the future, I promise. I would know."

He winked lightly.

I blinked once, and he was there.

I blinked again, and he was gone.

I closed my eyes, and I never wanted to open them again.

_-x-_

Author's Note

Please wait a little bit before you hate me for this plot twist. I promise it will work itself out:)

And if Loki saw Lily's future, I'm thinking this makes him like the Doctor. *Imagines a gorgeous cross-breed of Tom Hiddleston and David Tennant* AW YISSS.

The chapter title, you ask? Another thinly veiled Florence reference. This one is perhaps a little bit more obscure.

As for the disappointment in the inevitable ending of this story, considering this plot twist, we still have some juicyness to get into.

Don't hate me,

_-Maddie-_


	27. Bruises

So I guess I'm not the only person having ovary convulsions at the thought of a Tennant- Hiddleston crossbreed. It's quite nice to know that other people think of these things.

I alway seem to forget that you guys don't have the advantage of writing this with me, so I dearly apologize if I freaked you out or ruined your life with that plot twist.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. I do own Lily. She's just full of mess.

_-x-_

"Phil?" I whispered into my phone, rocking back and forth on the ground.

"Lily! Hey, I meant to call you earlier, but I didn't know if you had reception, considering the blackout and everyth-,"

"I think I'm going insane."

"Well, you can be a little strange, but you're hardly insane. If anyone in our family is insane-,"

"Phil, I need you to listen to me, please," I cut him off gently.

"Lily? What's wrong?"

"The blackout is my fault."

"Well, I'm kind of impressed. How'd you manage that?"

"I didn't, it was Loki," I shuddered at the name. "But he did it because of me."

"Okay, slow down, Lily. Stay calm."

"I can't stay calm anymore," I felt my eyes well.

"It'll be ok. I'm going to call a friend to get the power back on. Why isn't Bruce with you?"

"He's in the lab downstairs."

"I'd bet he's looking for you. You can't do much in a lab without power."

"I need you to get me before him, Phil," I didn't want to see Bruce's reaction to this, I didn't want to see him ashamed of me. I didn't want to face him.

"Lily, why do I need to get you?"

"Because Loki's gone."

Pause.

"Did you let him go?"

"Does it even matter?" my voice nearly cracked.

"Yes. To SHIELD, it does," he sighed.

If it gets me out of eternal prison. "He took the key from me."

Phil paused for a moment. I knew the call was being monitored and Fury already wanted my hide. "Stay where you are. I'll be there in a few hours."

"No sooner?" I bit the inside of my lip.

"Even the beacons are out, Lily. It's gonna be impossible to land."

"Impossible?"

"Sorry, difficult. Be safe, Lily."

I set the phone back down on the tiles and rocked back and forth a little longer. I wanted to disappear, to go into hiding permanently. None of these people would have to see me again.

I knew they'd be pissed beyond belief. Tony might literally hurt me, especially when he sees the flooded basement.

Considering how much Clint hates Loki for getting in his head, which I fully understand, I knew he'd despise me for setting him free.

And Natasha, who had found a way to show emotion and possibly treat me as something like a friend, well... she'd want the sweater back.

Steve would have a little bit of internal conflict, deciding between helping out the not completely mentally sane girl or throwing her out the window.

And Thor? No one could predict that man. He might hug me, he might punch me.

I didn't even want to consider what this would do to the perfectly awkward, slow-moving relationship happening between Bruce and me. I wanted to think he'd be okay with it. Every other option felt like a knife in the chest.

The latch to the stairwell door a flight down sounded, and my heart went straight to my throat. I knew this wasn't a good position to be found in.

I gently padded my way to my room, just as the next door was opened. Bruce was honestly the last person I wanted to face right now.

I felt around the room for the bed and curled into a ball on top of it, not fussing with the covers. If he thinks I'm asleep, he won't come in.

Footsteps came down the hallway, stopping at my door. I cursed under my breath.

My door creaked just the slightest bit, and I knew I was done for. Why does he have to be so nice? Why does he have to check on me?

He walked over towards me and pulled a blanket over my shoulders. Just barely, he brushed away the stray hairs from my face and let his fingers get caught in a tangle.

"I know you're not sleeping."

This is it, then. I'm done for.

I swallowed lightly, opening one eye, "How?"

"You're not this tense when you're asleep."

Only then did I realize my fists were clenched and the joints of my knees were jutting into eachother.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, barely tilting his head.

Everything's wrong. Everything's so wrong. "A little bit."

"Then tell me about it," he stared at me, looking so impossibly kind. I knew this would completely ruin everything. Every sweet moment I could remember would be completely tainted.

I shifted my gaze away from his. "I think you'd hate me."

"That sounds impossible," he smiled, playing with another tangle.

I smiled back at him, even if it hurt doing so, "It's possible."

Bruce's phone looked blinding in the dark room as it shined through his pocket. I'd learned that his phone never rang or vibrated, but he was extrememly concious of the light.

He pulled it out and squinted at the screen. I silently wondered if he left his glasses in the lab. "It's Phil. Hello?"

My heart started racing even faster. Phil's without a doubt telling Bruce that I'm going insane and possibly a Loki-minion.

I scooted out of bed and into the adjoining bathroom to wait for the storm to blow over.

"Yeah, she's here."

Pause.

"Oh."

I turned on the sink and started brushing my teeth in the dark. I'm sure my gums were thoroughly bleeding by the time I was through scratching them with the brush.

I wondered when in the future I wouldn't regret letting Loki slip through my fingers. Right then, I think I could've pushed him off that ledge. My head was spinning with anger and revenge plots, neither of which were a comfort.

Right now, I needed Bruce more than ever and more than anything. It was decidedly tough to admit to myself that I 'needed' another person, but it was too blatantly obvious to ignore.

I gently opened the bathroom door, not knowing what to think or what to hope for.

He was sitting on my bed, as expected, waiting for my emotional breakdown to be over. He looked up at me, thinly veiling all of the anger he had bottled up inside.

Bruce looked explosively calm.

"Who else have you told?" he asked in a slow, measured voice.

"Just Phil," I murmured, holding my hands together to stop them from shaking.

He hates me, he hates me, he hates me.

Seeing him this angry and knowing I caused it was worth a stab in my good leg. My eyes started welling the littlest bit.

"If you start crying, I'm going to turn green," he muttered under his breath, rubbing his forehead.

"Okay," I whispered, trying as hard as possible not to let my voice crack. I slowly shut myself inside the bathroom.

"Stop that," he said, kicking the door open again. "Tell me what happened," he stared at me, measuring every reaction.

I caught the door before it hit me, trying to find a starting place. "I was upset," I began, "And Loki read my mind. He tried to fix my problems, I guess," I rushed out, my voice down to a whisper. "Then he snatched the key, and just... ran."

"He fixed your problems by running away?"

He hates me, he hates me, he hates me.

"No, with the blackout," I mumbled. Every word I said came out in a mousy little whisper. "I missed seeing the stars."

"He cut the power to the entire city from where he was sitting? No scepter?"

He hates me, he hates me, and he doesn't believe me.

I nodded.

"We should've had him in more than handcuffs," Bruce sighed. "Why were you upset?"

At the time, I was upset over him. I thought he didn't like me; I thought he was trying to get away. I was being dramatic. "I don't remember."

Bruce looked even more disappointed than he already was. "Yes you do."

"It's just shifting the blame aroun-,"

"I can take it."

I swallowed. "It was horribly stupid."

"I can take that, too," he barely smirked.

I took the deepest breath my lungs would allow, "I thought you were leaving."

"Why?" his features softened.

"God, I don't know. I asked where we were going in the lab, and you looked so sad, and you haven't been sleeping enough, the Earth was safe, and I just don't understand why anyone would want to stay near me," I rushed out, only half aware of what I was saying.

"Don't say that," his voice raised.

"It doesn't sound stupid anymore. It makes sense," I mumbled, feeling my eyes well again.

"No it doesn't make sense, and it still sounds stupid," he made the motions of standing up. I barely registered his presence in the bathroom.

"You have a reason to leave now. You could just say you were too angry with me, or you were afraid you'd hurt m-,"

All too quickly, his hands caught my wrists and our bodies slammed against the wall.

"Lily, shut up. Please."

Apart from the pain associated with hitting the wall, I couldn't feel anything. My body was numb with shock.

I wasn't entirely sure of what was happening. Honestly, I wasn't sure if Bruce was rapidly turning green as he was holding me down.

I drew in a breath, mumbling something incoherent that was only muffled by his chest.

He let go of me instantly and flew backwards. His back hit the countertop of the sink, preventing him from getting any further away.

He looked completely horrified. His chest heaved, almost uncontrollably. It took three repeats of a breathing cycle before his shoulders completely relaxed.

I moved myself off the wall, careful not to groan out loud, and instantly noticed a pain in my head.

"You're hurt," he simply stated, measuring out each word.

"I'm fine," I shrunk back into the wall.

"I hurt you."

"Bruce, I'm fine."

"Where?"

"It's really not that bad."

"Where, Lily?" he whispered, his stare threatening to melt me.

"Back of my head," I mumbled, staring at the floor.

He frowned, looking seven levels of self-deprecating. "Let me look."

"It's too dark, you won't see anything," I reasoned.

"Let me feel then?" He asked, holding out a hand.

I slowly stepped towards him, holding my elbows. He stepped forward the rest of the way, and started tracing the back of skull with both hands.

"Are you dizzy, or faint at all?" he asked, immediately pinning a serious injury on me.

"No, just tired," I answered, careful not to lean on anything.

"Tell me if it happens."

I pressed my nose against his chest and felt a less than gentle heartbeat. "Your heart's still fast," I mumbled, horribly afraid of what would happen if it got any faster. I really had no desire to find out how mad the other guy would be with me right

"It stays that way," he sighed. "Yours is faster."

I frowned, moving my hand to take my own pulse and compare. Sure enough, my heart was beating at an even faster pace.

"You're right."

"There's the knot," he breathed out, rubbing a lump on my head. "It's kind of huge." He winced a little. "No changes?"

"I'm getting nervous," I shifted, looking up at him.

"Sorry," he briefly smiled, letting his hands fall from my head. "Have you seen the Second Aid Kit?"

"Under the sink, I'm pretty sure," I answered, wondering what remedy he wanted to try.

He immediately searched for the odd box, pulling it out on the sink and rummaging through it there.

"Did you already get it out?" he asked, sounding a little bit puzzled.

"Get out what?" I asked back, sounding equally puzzled.

"There we are. The flashlight," he said, beaming it straight at my eyes. "Look up here?"

Pointedly avoiding the awkwardness of staring straight at Bruce, I slowly moved my eyes toward the beam.

I stared into light for what seemed like forever. He'd look at one eye, then the other, then back, then again. His thoroughness was painfully endearing.

"Pupils are even. It's nothing too serious," he finally said, switching off the torch.

"Good," I said, sounding hoarse and tired and sicker than hell. "I need water." I moved for the door, glad for the excuse to leave the situation.

"Go lay down, Lily. I'll get some," he stopped me, moving out of the room to find anything that would make me better. He truly felt awful for it.

I stepped out of the bathroom, barely rubbing the back of my head. The moon was almost full outside, lighting the room barely.

I sat down on the bed and tucked my knees to my chest.

Isn't this exactly what I didn't want to happen? No, this is worse. I didn't want Bruce to be mad at me. Bruce being mad at himself is so much worse.

I gently traced the bruises already forming around my wrists. The left was starting to swell in addition to the purple hues.

He'd obsess over them. He'd feel like a monster every time he looked at them.

I started poking the individual bruises in a sick, twisted game to see which one hurt the most.

When Bruce finally came back with water, I quickly pulled down my sleeves and hid my left hand in between my knees.

Even in the dark room, he was all too perceptive. He put down the glass of water and sat down next to me.

"Let me see?" he looked up at me, holding out both hands.

Reluctantly, I pulled my sleeve up an inch and let him see the damage. He winced, barely brushing his fingers over the bruised skin. His expression twisted at every new bruise uncovered.

"Do you have a miracle treatment?" I smiled weakly, trying to find a way to get that look off of his face.

He smiled at me briefly, "There's honestly no good way to treat a bruise. You can try icing them, but they just go away with time."

Most things do.

"They're bigger than yours," I said quietly.

"Hmm?"

"You can see handprints, kind of. They're really huge," I trailed off, thinly veiling an excuse to be forgiving.

"That doesn't make it okay," he winced, "Even if I didn't mean to do it, and even if he did it, it still happened."

"It makes it forgivable," I mumbled.

He smiled weakly, thumbing over the largest bruise on my right hand. "The other hand is worse, isn't it?"

I pulled the left from between my knees, "A little bit." It was already an ungodly shade of purple.

He thumbed over the swollen expanse of my wrist, making grim faces.

"What did Phil tell you, exactly?" I asked, looking for a change of subject.

Bruce looked up at me, hesitating a moment. "He said you sounded scared. And not to leave you alone."

I swallowed, "Is he mad at me?"

"Probably a little bit, but he's more worried than anything."

"Then he told you I let Loki go," I presumed, tasting something bitter the moment I said the name.

"He said that you didn't want me to find you," he frowned, looking a little bit offended.

I could literally feel the blood rushing to my head. The headache already going on must've multiplied. "Bruce-,"

"You didn't want me to be mad at you. It makes sense."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, feeling incredibly defeated.

"Lily, I just threw you at a wall. Please don't be sorry."

I stared at him, straight in the eyes. "I'm still sorry."

"I'm not mad at you," he looked back at me, still holding my wrist.

"How?" my eyebrows knitted, "God, how can you not be mad at me? I released a mass murderer and made you hurt me."

"Being mad at you did this," he held up my wrist. "I don't care who takes the blame for it."

"It doesn't matter," I mumbled. "Nothing matters."

"God, please stop, Lily. I'm not mad at you. I don't care what you did. It'll be okay."

"You really don't know that," I smiled weakly.

"I'll make it okay if it's not," he smirked, grabbing the comforter. "Lay down."

I did lay down, and he covered me up with the oversized blanket, pulling it to my chin. I smiled instantly, but frowned when he backed away from the bed.

"Please stay."

"I will. Phil made me promise," he smiled, walking into the bathroom. "I'm just putting the flashlight back."

"What did you promise Phil?"

"I promised that I wouldn't let you go insane," he emerged from the room.

"Does that involve staying?"

"Do you think so?" he pulled up the cover, laying down next to me.

"Definitely."

I curled into his side, laying my head down on his chest. His heartbeat was still fast, per usual, but his breathing was perfectly steady.

"I lied to you," I closed my eyes.

"What about?" he asked, picking up a curl of hair to play with.

"It wasn't anything specific, I just, I... didn't tell you everything I should've."

"How did you get away with it? You know you're bad at it," he smiled, his chest rumbling with every word.

"It was that important to keep secret, I guess."

He smiled, "I'm incredibly interested."

"I saw parts of Loki's head," I whispered. "That was where the drowning came from. He saw Tony's basement flooding."

"And that actually happened?" he barely sat up, "You almost drowned in the basement?"

"Everything's ruined down there," I frowned, pulling my head off his chest.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It didn't really seem important, I mean, stranger things have happened today."

"I don't remember much of it."

"Well, you grabbed me out of the sky."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Nice," he smiled.

"It was pretty neat," I smiled back, putting my head back down.

"Your feet are cold," he mumbled.

"Sorry," I immediatly pulled my feet away from him.

"It's okay. You can put them back. I know I'm warm."

I particularly enjoyed using Bruce's legs as an incubator for my feet.

"You should sleep," he whispered against the top of my head.

"I'm too tired to sleep," I mumbled, pulling the blanket over part of my face.

"Exactly."

"Will you promise to wake me up when Phil gets here?" I looked up at Bruce again, conveying the seriousness of the situation.

"I promise."

I slumped my head back against his chest.

"Good night, Bruce."

"Good night, Lily,"

"I love you," I blurted out, feeling heat rush to my face.

He stopped playing with my hair. "Lily?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you, too. A lot more, I think."

Every weight on my shoulders had been lifted, and the clouds in the sky were parting, and I swear to God I could hear birds chirping in the distance.

"Cool."

_-x-_

Author's Note

A HEART FULLL OF LOOOOOVEEE! A HEART FULL OF SONG!

This one's pretty streets ahead as far as cute goes. So after 27 chapters, I finally convince these two to love eachother. Slow development is better than no development, eh?

This chapter is dedicated to everyone that freaked out and thought all hell would break loose. Next chapter is quite simply, to prove you guys right.

_-Maddie-_


End file.
